You're Gone and I'm Unbroken
by FluffyPikachuLovesYou
Summary: Percy and Annabeth have been married for three years. Things have been rough, but lately, they've taken a turn for the worst. Soon, everything falls apart when Annabeth stumbles upon something she never wished she had. AU; mostly OOC
1. Chapter 1

Here's the thing. I have a two-shot. It ends at a good spot to where I have the option to continue. Since I'm in a good mood, should I get at LEAST 8 reviews, I will post the second half tonight and if I get 8 more after that saying I should continue, I will. :) First half is short-ish... I know.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

She sat on her couch watching her favorite show in the world: _Toddlers & Tiaras. _No judging. Suddenly, her phone beeped signaling that she had received a text message. Percy. Her husband of three years.

_Notice anything different?_ It said.

She smiled. _Is this a surprise?_ For the last couple of months, he'd been becoming more distant. Annabeth always believed that it was just his job. He _was_ a major marine biologist. _Maybe he got time off and we're going to have a nice night together._

She got up from her perch on the couch to look around for any clues but all she saw was that the house was a clean as ever.

Wait.

_I haven't cleaned yet_, she thought. Annabeth also knew for sure that Percy didn't clean anything. Ever. Suspicions raised, she raced upstairs to their bedroom. _It's clean in here too_. Something felt off in the room and it really picked at Annabeth's thoughts before it hit her. Percy's things were missing. She checked the bathroom and sure enough, all of his stuff had been removed from there as well._ Only one last place to look._ Annabeth made her way to their shared closet and was met with all of Percy's clothes gone along with a number of suitcases. At this point, Annabeth knew that it wasn't just his work that made him so distant. "No... This can't be happening... Not now." She could barely speak, let alone stand, so she moved to the bed and sat down. The sound of something crumpling underneath her jarred her out of her thoughts. Annabeth pulled the mystery item out from under her and saw that they were divorce papers. Gasping slightly, she noticed the little paper clip in the corner of the packet and pulled on it. From behind the packet, a small picture fluttered to the ground. Annabeth bent over to examine the new found clue. Percy. And Rachel.

_His assistant?! He's leaving me for his assistant?!_ Tears threatened to pour out from her eyes but Annabeth was much stronger than that. Hot air filled her chest as her pain morphed into anger. She saw red as she practically stabbed her signature onto the paper beside Percy's. Folding it back along the creases, Annabeth shoved the packet into an envelope, sealed it, and slammed it down onto the pile of other things that were to be mailed.

Annabeth then moved back to her perch on the couch in front of the TV where _Teen Mom_ was now showing. _How ironic. These girls are 16/17, with a child, and the father is there. Well, most of the time._ She thought this while caressing her own stomach. _I'm twenty-six and my husband left me._ Taking a long glance at her soon-to-be not-so-flat belly, she said, "Well, it looks like you won't know your daddy after all."

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And there you go! Part 1, done! Remember, 8 reviews and I'll get part 2 up ASAP.

Happy Friday!


	2. Chapter 2

Here's Part 2 guys! You're support is AMAZING! This will be Percabeth should you guys want me to continue.

**First Guest:** I'm sorry you didn't like that but it's all explained in this chapter!

**Jadesfire13: **Dont worry! I have it all figured out! :)

**Second Guest: **Thank you so much!

**NiraKaulitz:** Well then... O.o" I'm glad you like it though. Especially since your writing is amazing as well. :)

And now... For the infamous...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

It has been three years since Percy had left her and their unborn child. Annabeth still lived in the same home, now with her two year old son Anthony Chase. After the divorce, Annabeth reverted back to her maiden name and decided that her son would take that name as well because his father was a low class... _No_. Annabeth promised she wouldn't use that language anymore. _Even though its true_, she thought

Currently, Annabeth was browsing through the snack aisle with her son in their usual grocery store. Anthony was playing happily with his favorite toy. It was a blue sock monkey. That sock monkey had been with that boy for his whole life. Every now and then, something would catch Anthony's eye and he'd point at it like crazy in an attempt to persuade his mother to purchase it. It worked with the Double Stuf Oreos, the Cheetos, and the Chips Ahoy. As the pair continued their way up the aisle, Anthony pointed out yet another snack that he wanted to buy. "No Andy, no more snacks," Annabeth told her son. "We have enough."

Anthony did not like that. He scrunched up his face the way Percy used to and began to whine. The sight made Annabeth's heart clench. She didn't want to, but she couldn't help but notice the little things about her son that reminded her so much of her ex. Aside from the grey eyes that he had inherited from her, everything reminded her of Percy. Especially the unruly black hair. "Mommy! I want it!" Anthony had successfully pulled Annabeth out of her thoughts, temporarily getting forget about her Percy problem and focus on the problem at hand. She mentally thanked her son for the former.

"Andy, I said no." The look he gave her made Annabeth feel bad for not getting her son the desired Goldfish so she decided to make a deal. "If you want, you can get the Goldfish but you have to take one of your other snacks out." Anthony scowled from his seat in the shopping cart.

"I want all!" Annabeth could feel a headache coming on and she did not want to start a scene in the middle of the store. However, she couldn't back down now and give in. She had to be the one in charge.

"I said no and that's final," she resolved.

Anthony couldn't pull a full-on tantrum as he was strapped to the chair so he did what he thought was the next best thing. He threw his sock monkey to the ground in frustration. "Anthony Chase! You do not act like that _ever_ young man."

"Here you go," a voice said as she turned to pick up the toy.

"Oh, thank you so much." Taking the toy, she looked up to meet the stranger's eyes and her heart stopped. "Percy..." She couldn't believe it. The man she had once loved was now standing in front of her.

"Annabeth..." He had a small smile on his face that seemed sincere enough but that only made Annabeth raise her guard even more.

"What are you doing here," she asked, trying to keep things civil for the sake of her son.

"Grocery shopping," he answered. "It's so good to see you."

_How dare he_, she thought. _Screw civility. _"Wish I could say the same."

"Look, I'm sorry for what I did three years ago," he said.

"How're things with Rachel," Annabeth shot, effectively avoiding the apology and turning the table back on him.

"She... Uhh... Cheated on me," he said lamely, looking down. Things were not going well for him. He so wanted to bury his head in the sand from the embarrassment.

"Oh the irony," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

It was silent for a time, Annabeth glaring at Percy and Percy gazing at the floor. Suddenly, he broke the silence. "So, uh, who's the kid?"

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him. "That's Anthony, my son," she said coldly.

"Y-You have a s-son?" Percy looked shocked and somewhat hurt. Annabeth couldn't be too sure. His expression was guarded just enough so that she couldn't read him as well as she used to.

"Obviously. He's sitting right here."

"Where's his dad?"

"Not in the picture." Another moment of silence fell upon the former couple.

"Who's his father?" Percy shifted, beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Why do you care," Annabeth snapped back at him.

"Well... Maybe I know him." Annabeth knew it was a lame excuse; Percy did too.

"You do know him," she said as she looked at him straight in the eye. Percy's eyes widened at the new information and he vowed to find the man that left her with a child and beat the guy to a pulp... Percy knew he did things that he wasn't proud of, especially leaving his wife for a skank who played him completely. She didn't care about him. He thought she did. That's why he complied to her wishes. She promised him spontaneity; adventure. That was what he had always wanted. To live his life, not trudge through it. Rachel had convinced him that Annabeth's set ways would always deny him that. The deal sounded so good that when Rachel showed him the divorce papers and told him all he had to do was sign, he did. It was definitely the worst decision he had ever made. The next day he showed up to work, Rachel told him that everything was taken care of and that all of his things were at her place until they could get him a new flat. He was shocked to say the least. Rachel told him that it was best to cut the ties altogether. He believed her. The next time Percy saw or even talked to Annabeth was at the drawing of the divorce agreement and on the actual court date.

That in itself was unforgivable, but Percy was dead set against anyone leaving their kid. That was the one thing he made a promise to when he was younger. He did not want to be like his own father, leaving him and his mother the moment he found out that she was pregnant. He swore that he would be there for his kid should he have one.

The next two words that left Annabeth's lips completely shattered his heart. Time stopped and the world started spinning. He had become his father. The one thing he told himself he wouldn't do, he did. He was stunned to the core as Annabeth stalked off with her son. He stood there in the middle of the aisle for what felt like forever those two words echoing throughout his mind.

"It's you."

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And there was Part 2! Hoped you liked that! Tell me if you want more by leaving a review! Remember, I'm only asking for 8 :)


	3. Chapter 3

MAN I LOVE YOU GUYS! I will definitely be continuing this story. First things first. I am a senior in high school and on our school's Volleyball team, therefore, updates may not come as quick as they were for the first two chapters. The reason those came out relatively quick was because both had been well thought out for it to just be a two shot. Because of my continuing, I want to be able to give the same amount of attention to each of the chapters as well. I was able to crank this chapter out pretty quick because I spent the weekend doing it (I should've done my APLIT assignment...but I love you guys too much! Oops! Don't worry, I'll do it now since its posted).

**Aztec Moustache:** I love that you're keeping count! :)

**Swimmy13:** You have succeeded in making me smile like a maniac and have my family question my sanity. True story. ;)

**Erin (Guest):** Wow... (That's all I really have to say... XD)

**NinjaKillerOfWords:** Thanks! I really appreciate that! Annabeth is a very proud, strong woman and I love that about her. She crawls for nobody! lol

**Magicchalkdust:** It is, I promise. They are my OTP. It'll take some time though... Annabeth is a tough nut to crack! Bear with me :) Trust me, it's all I can do to keep the pace and not muscle through it full speed.

And we must never forget...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

Percy had no idea what to do. In fact, he didn't even know how he got home. He felt like he couldn't function. The only woman he _knew_ he loved had had his child. His child. _His son._ Those two words played like a mantra all over his head. Percy slumped on his couch barely able to process anything. He still couldn't believe he became his father. The one thing he swore he would never become, he became. Percy looked around his apartment. _This is my life,_ he thought. I'm a lonely twenty-nine year old with a son that I didn't know about until 3 hours ago. Putting his head into his hands, Percy thought about Annabeth. He couldn't believe how great she looked. Actually, he could. She had always been very fit. In high school, she had been the captain and MVP of both the Varsity Volleyball and Varsity Basketball her senior year and won Female Athlete of the Year both junior and senior year. On top of that, she ran cross country as well. Percy had no idea how she did it and maintained a 4.89 GPA. He had always told her to go to 5.0 but she didn't want to overload herself with all that AP work so she only took 6 AP classes at the most.

Despite his misery, Percy smiled at the memory. It was one of the things he loved about her. Annabeth knew her limits and always knew when to push. _Why did I leave her?_ He sat there on his couch thinking about that one question. It haunted him, along with a plethora of other things.

_I need to talk to her_. Percy came to his final decision. He was going to be in that kid's life whether she liked it or not. He pulled his phone from his pocket and began searching through his contacts._ Annabeth._

Percy was confused. Annabeth's name wasn't in his contacts anymore. He doesn't remember deleting it ever. _Duh! I must have saved it under Wise Girl!_ He scrolled down to the "W's" only to find that there was no existing contact under Wise Girl either. Percy's eyebrows furrowed together as he tried to piece things together. How the hell was he supposed to talk to her if he didn't have her number? He didn't even know how or why it wasn't in his phone. When he got his new one last year, he had every single contact transferred. That included Annabeth's. Scrolling through one more time, a single name caught his eye. If anyone were to know where Annabeth was, it was her best friend. Also known as his cousin. T_halia Grace._

He clicked the name and waited for someone to pick up. "Hello?"

"Thalia," Percy said relieved.

"Oh... Hey... How's it going jackass?" Percy felt his elation deflate.

"I'm no jackass."

"Really? Cuz last time I checked, people who leave their spouse for a skank were the ones deserving of the title 'jackass.'"

"No, Thalia listen-"

"No you listen Percy. You don't know how hard it's been for me. When Annabeth told me what happened, I defended you. I told her that you would never do something like that but she showed me everything. She insisted. Even throughout that, I still believed that you would never. I waited for you. For days, weeks, months. I waited for your call to explain why you did what you did. You broke our only promise. To always be there for each other. We're family, Percy. I love you like a brother. I gave you the benefit of the doubt even when your own _wife_ didn't and you didn't prove yourself innocent. What am I supposed to think? I can only defend you for so long. Eventually, it came to the point where I believed that you really had changed. Now here we are. Three years after I expected you to call. I truly am disappointed with you."

"Thalia, please, just listen-" Percy tried to get a quick word in before his cousin interrupted once more.

"I'm sorry Perce, I have to go now."

"Thalia-" Percy tried to reason but the line went dead. He sighed deeply, running his hands through his hair.

What was he going to do now? Percy had half a mind to chuck his phone across the room but thought better of it. Slouching back into the couch, Percy contemplated his next move. He could call another one of their mutual friends. No, Percy didn't want to do that. Not again. He knew he was at fault and that if he called another person in an attempt to locate Annabeth, he would come out of it the way he did with Thalia. Feeling a million times worse than he did before the call. No. He had to talk to Annabeth face to face.

_How?_ Percy didn't know where she lived. She most likely moved to a better house and even if she stayed in their old house, would she even talk to him? _Probably not._ Annabeth could be a wild card whenever she wanted to be and she seemed pretty set on not wanting to see him ever again and he didn't blame her.

Yet, despite all of that, Percy wanted to see her. He wanted to see his son. He could still be a father. He didn't know about him only because Annabeth neglected to tell him of anything about a child. That wasn't his fault. Now that he knows, he can make it up. He can be a part of his kid's life. He doesn't have to be like his own father after all.

With that resolution in mind, Percy came to another final decision. He _was_ going to find Annabeth and he _was_ going to be a father to his child. He checked his phone for the time. _4:00pm_. Perfect. Grabbing his jacket and keys, he locked his door and stepped into his car. He had no idea where Annabeth lived but he did know a good place to start.

Their old house.

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And there you go! Chapter 3! Sorry it's a bit short, sucky, and ends on a semi-cliffhanger. The thing is, the way I plan is that I have where I want to end the story. Each chapter is how I get there. And end want each chapter to end a certain way so I plan it out to where the events line up so they fall that way. I don't know if that made sense to you but it does to me so... O.O"

Peace! And remember, the Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!

~Review! Favorite! & Follow!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! It feels like its been forever even though its only been a couple of days huh? Anyways, I have chapter 4 for you!

**GuestSwiftie:** Haha! You make me smile. :) Don't worry, I don't take it as a flame. You're good! I do promise Percabeth but it won't be until later.

**MidnightBoredom:** I'm excited to see where this goes too! LOL!

**hunterLEADER:** Thanks!

**ThaliadaughterofZeus: **Yeah... Another cliffhanger... Sorry

**jvu11501:** yeah...sorry about that... And I'm sorry about this one too.

**Guest:** YES! The more reviews I get, the more inspired I am to write, the faster I post! So keep reviewing!

And we must never forget...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

Annabeth was mentally and emotionally exhausted. Her meeting with Percy three hours ago took a lot more out of her than she expected. She was proud of herself though. For the past three years, she had wondered how she would react if she saw Percy again. She wished she hadn't seen him today. She was actually _scared_ of what she might've done. There were so many ways in which she could've handled that situation and Annabeth felt that she handled it in the best way. _A cold indifference_. Annabeth was strong and she was going to make sure Percy knew that too.

"Mommy!" Annabeth pulled her attention from her screwed up love life and turned it toward her son.

"Yes Andy?"

"I'm hungry!" He climbed up on the bar stool by the island and put his chin in his hands. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well I'm making dinner now. We're having macaroni and cheese. Can you wait for a little bit?" Annabeth looked at him with a smile on her face. He was just too adorable!

Sitting back in his seat, Anthony crossed his arms and scowled. "But mommy, can't I have a snack?"

Annabeth sighed. "Andy, it'll only take 10 minutes."

"Ok," he said. "Can I go watch spongebob?"

She smiled. "Of course you can."

He jumped off his perch and ran into the living room, switching the television to Nickelodeon. Sometimes he reminded Annabeth of Percy so much it broke her heart. From the way he talked to his mannerisms; even his love for water. Everything was just so _Percy_ that Annabeth couldn't help but feel nostalgic for the times they were together.

Annabeth had known Percy since they were seven years old and in second grade. At the time they had met, he tried to be her friend and she just thought that he was annoying. Eventually, they got paired for a project and became inseparable. Annabeth grew up with Percy and when they turned twelve, she began to develop a crush on him. Of course, Percy was as oblivious as ever but the she was able to keep it under control. It took another four years for Percy to finally ask Annabeth out in their junior year. They've been together ever since. They even kept up the relationship when she went to Columbia University for architecture and him to NYU for biology with special interest in marine life. They had gotten married after graduation and well...the rest is history.

To see what they had created was simply fascinating. It was such a shame that Percy never got to meet his own son. Sure, Annabeth could have told him about her expecting but she didn't want to live an unhappy life with a man who didn't love her the way she loved him. He wanted to leave. Annabeth let him. She knows she should have fought but then again her hormones were all screwed over. Besides, she didn't want to be a suffocating force to him. Sure, they were married but Annabeth never wanted to be the one that uses a baby to get her husband to stay with her. She just wasn't like that.

Annabeth was also used to being left behind. Her mother left her when she was still a baby, leaving her with her dad. Things were pretty okay with just the two of them, that is, until, her step-mother came into the picture when she was four. She was sweet for the first ten seconds she met Annabeth. From then, everything went downhill. It wasn't that Annabeth was abused or anything like that, it's just, her step-mother seemed to believe Annabeth to be a nuisance. Annabeth was slowly fading into the background and her father didn't even notice. When she turned six, her father and step-mother had already married and were expecting twin boys. Once they were born, Annabeth simply turned into a fly: gone by unnoticed and when found, treated like a pest. It was so hard for Annabeth as a child that by the age of seven, she wanted to run away. Of course, that never happened because she met Percy. Now she wondered what could have happened if she _did _run away. Permanence had always seemed like a dream to her. _Wishful thinking_, she liked to call it.

Her trippy past had also been a driving factor in her choice of career. Aside from the fact that she knew her mother was a well-known architect, it was Annabeth's life dream to be able to build something permanent. Something that would last the ages. Annabeth thought she had built something with Percy but that fell to rubble. Turning to look at her son who was completely engaged in the underwater cartoon, Annabeth realized that he too was only temporary. She would raise him to be ready to take on the world and he would eventually leave her. He might visit every now and then but he'd always have his own life, his own wife, his own family. Annabeth would be alone. No husband, no nothing.

The thought brought tears to her eyes but she quickly wiped them away when the timer went off for the noodles. Annabeth strained them and moved to combine them with the cheese sauce. Not wanting to dive back into her self-pity, Annabeth focused on throwing herself into her cooking. Soon enough, the mac 'n cheese was ready for consumption. "Anthony! Food's ready!"

Annabeth smiled at the light pitter-patter of Anthony's feet as he rushed into the kitchen where the they were going to eat at the breakfast table. Said table was set for two and as Annabeth slid herself into her seat, Anthony climbed the mountain that was his.

Annabeth spooned the macaroni onto both of their plates, giving herself slightly more, then began the prayer. After closing the prayer, the two were ready to dig in. Anthony immediately buried his face into his food and Annabeth simply shook her head at his antics. She moved to take a bite of her meal when the doorbell rang. _Who could that be?_

"Anthony, you keep on eating. Mommy is just going to check to see who's at he door," Annabeyh explained as she rose from her seat.

"Mmhmm," was the toddler's reply.

Annabeth exited the main kitchen area, walked through the living room and into the foyer. Outside the door she could see the silhouette of a man perhaps half a head taller than her 5'10. Unsuspecting of her random visitor, Annabeth opened the door to reveal the man who nearly broke her. _Percy Jackson._

* * *

__You guys' continual support is much appreciated! I love getting your reviews! I promised myself I wouldn't beg you guys for reviews so ill do this: I have email notifications for whenever you guys review which means my phone goes off EVERY TIME. That mean I am constantly receiving reminders to write. The more reviews I get, the more reminders I get, the more inspired and inclined I am to write. So, review will reviews will most likely come sooner.

Also, I apologize for yet ANOTHER cliff hanger...Chapter 5 WON'T BE! (Maybe...)

~Live, Love, Review

and remember...

Fluffy Pickachu Loves You!


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys! So... I was gonna post this yesterday at school on my new school issued laptop... But... The school network blocked which sucks because it wasn't blocked before... (That's how I posted chapter 4) I know what you're thinking, "Why didn't you post it after school?" Well... I had another Volleyball Game and didn't get home until really late and I had a bunch of homework to do that night and I actually didn't get to bed until 1AM... I was sure that I would fall asleep during class to day... BUT I DIDN'T! I'm pretty happy about that... I also got to work on my jump serve and my spike today (I'm a setter so I don't get to do that often and I REALLY want to learn how to jump serve since I'm looking at playing college volleyball. Well... Here I am now..posting!

**Erin (Guest):** Thanks!

**Aztec Moustache:** yeah... Must be something in this Texas water... And I will take that as a compliment :3

**lucie (Guest): **Thanks! Will do!

**sososo240: **HAHA I love how bipolar your reviews are! Totally awesome!

**Ilovepercabeth1234:** I got'chu!

**Leafvine45:** Thanks! And Thalia will show up again... Maybe not soon but she will... ;)

And finally... I clicked "I Agree" so...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

Annabeth's eyes widened at the sight in front of her. Never in a million years did Annabeth think that Percy would ever return to this home. He wore the same clothes from their meeting at the store but a light shadow now graced his cheeks and chin.

"Annabeth," Percy breathed. He had lucked out! Annabeth didn't move from their old house after all. _Finding her was easier than I thought._

Annabeth broke out of her initial shock and narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here Percy?"

Percy's hand flew up to his neck as he so visibly shrank and Annabeth grew. "I need to talk to you," he answered barely loud enough for Annabeth to hear him.

"And if I don't want to talk to you?" Annabeth was not in the mood for any of his crap. She _was_ in the mood for some mac 'n cheese which was probably growing cold by now. Annabeth mentally groaned. She did not want cold mac n' cheese.

"Then just listen." Percy was not going to give up. He was going to talk to Annabeth and he was going to be a father.

Annabeth's stomach growled and Percy's eyebrows shot up. She knew right then and there that he wasn't going to leave until he has said what he wanted to say and if she wanted to eat sooner rather than later, then he would have to join them. Putting a hand to her forehead, Annabeth sighed, "Fine. But I'm starving right now so I guess you're welcome to join us for dinner too." She let him in and shut the door behind him. They walked into the kitchen where Anthony was waiting patiently for his mother with smudges of cheese all over his mouth and cheeks. Annabeth set another place at the table and Percy spooned himself some mac 'n cheese.

Annabeth and Percy were eating in silence when Anthony decided to speak up. "Mommy, who is that?" he asked.

"Sweetie, it's rude to ask questions like that," Annabeth said. After Anthony nodded in acknowledgement, she continued. "This is Percy. He's...an old friend." Annabeth didn't know what to call Percy at this point and was slightly confused as to their current relationship. Her son, however, decided it was a valid excuse. The trio lapsed off into another moment of silence when Anthony broke it once more. "Mommy?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Can I have more 'macanoni?'"

"Andy, it's 'macaroni,'" Annabeth corrected. "And yes, you may." She moved to get up and spoon more noodles onto her son's plate when Percy interrupted.

"Here, let me help you. " Annabeth opened her mouth to protest but Percy was already up and scooping a generous amount of the cheesy dinner onto their son's plate. Annabeth's heart clench at the sight. _He would have made a great father._ She shook the thought out of her head. _No, he ruined his chance._ The rest of dinner was pretty uneventful after that.

Soon, Annabeth began to clean up the table and Anthony went back to the living room to continue watching his show. Percy was awkwardly left to observe what seemed to be their daily routine. Not wanting to feel useless, Percy moved to finish cleaning the table. He made his way into the kitchen with the left over macaroni bowl and found Annabeth already washing the dishes. "Where do I put this?" Annabeth whirled around, startled. She was so deep in thought that she didn't even hear him enter the room.

"Uhh..." she fumbled. "Just put the plastic wrap over it - it's in that drawer - and find a place for it in the fridge."

Percy followed her orders and sat down at the bar stool at the island where Anthony had sat not to long ago and waited for Annabeth to finish the dishes. He loved to watch her when she worked. It sounds creepy and it probably is, but it's true. Annabeth always puts herself into her work two hundred and ten percent of the time, whether it's doing the dishes or designing a new office building. The sound of water falling from the faucet stopped, pulling Percy out of his thoughts. "I have to get Anthony ready for bed now. We can talk once he's asleep."

"But it's only five-thirty," Percy protested. Secretly, he wanted to continue to see Anthony. If he went to bed now, who knows how long it will be until Percy sees him next.

"I know, but he likes to stay in the water for forever. It'll be six-thirty by the time I can finally coax him out and then, it's a circus." Percy was confused at the last statement but nodded. Annabeth walked out of the room with Percy close behind.

"Andy, it's bath time. Turn the TV off."

The young boy's head spun at the sound of his mother's voice and sprung to his feet. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Yay!" Anthony raced his way up the steps and into the bathroom with Annabeth on his heels smiling yet shaking her head. Percy just looked on with amusement and longing.

_That could have been my family,_ he thought. He took a seat on the couch and began to flip through the channels. True to her word, an hour later, the bathroom door opened revealing a soaking wet Anthony running around the upstairs with nothing but a towel on and a harried Annabeth chasing after him.

"Anthony! Go to your room right now!" The tone of her voice made Percy want to cower in fear but Anthony just kept running and laughing around the second floor. Percy stood from his seat in an attempt to get a better view of the scene that was unfolding. The steps from overhead began to make their way down the stairs and Percy was soon met by the speeding boy, now in his underwear. Steadying himself, Percy was ready for the impact. Sure enough, he caught the boy but fell to the floor, his balance not balanced enough. Percy held onto the hyperactive child, not wanting to let him go for two reasons: (1) this was his first time holding his own son and (2) he didn't want to have to catch him all over again. The kid was like a squirrel hopped up on caffeine.

Annabeth stumbled down the stairs. "Oh my gosh, you caught him." She ran a hand through her hair obviously relieved. "You just shaved off ten minutes." Percy was shocked. This was their daily routine. Annabeth had to do this all alone for two years and had to go through the pre-natal process all by herself as well. Annabeth took the now calm boy from her ex's arms and brought him upstairs. Another thirty minutes later, Annabeth emerged from one of the rooms. He checked the time._ 7:30._ She came downstairs and made herself a glass of water before meeting with Percy in the living room. She sat across from him on the couches creating the largest space possible between the two.

"Now, what do you want?" Annabeth asked getting straight to the point, not wanting to have to spend anymore time with Percy than necessary.

"My son." Percy looked her dead in the eye, not even hesitating with his request.

"No. Absolutely not." Annabeth glared at him and his insane request. "You're not taking _my_ son away from me."

"I don't want to take him away from you," Percy began to explain. "I just want to be in his life." His eyes softened dramatically as he briefly relived his past mentally. "Annabeth, you know how hard it was for me growing up not knowing my own father. I don't want him to feel like that. I promised myself that I wouldn't be my father. You of all people know that."

Unlike Percy, Annabeth's gaze never wavered. "You put yourself in this situation Percy. You gave up any and all rights to my son the day we got divorced. You left us. We're fine. We don't need you. You can go back to your 'fabulous' bachelor life and not have to worry about us or the responsibilities that come with having a child."

"But I _want_ to worry about you guys! And to be honest, I never knew about the kid! _That_ wasn't my fault. _You_ never told me!" At this point, Percy was slowly raising his voice. Annabeth's eyes flashed upstairs for a quick second before returning to meet Percy's eyes with a warning. _Do not wake him up._

"I _was_ going to tell you!" Annabeth hissed.

"When? Once he turned _eighteen_?"

"No! The day I received those damn divorce papers!"

Percy froze. _She would have told me?_ He realized that he truly was the reason he never knew his son. "Why didn't you tell me anyways? I wouldn't have left."

"Exactly." Annabeth's expression was dead panned - nearly stoic.

Percy on the other hand, was confused. "What?"

"I didn't tell you because I knew you would stay. I didn't want to be in a relationship where I knew that my partner was only with me for my kid. I wanted you to choose me for me," Annabeth elaborated, "and you made your choice."

"I know I was wrong-"

"Don't. Save it, Percy. I know you never really loved me. You only got together with me because it was expected, familiar, a safety net. What sucks is that I fell for you. _Hard._ I was blind. I should have known. No one ever really cared about me. Not my mother, my father, you. The only people I truly ever cared about has left me to fend for myself. The only people still here are Anthony, who's two; Grover, who's off saving the wild; and Thalia, who's off taking pictures of the nature that Grover saves." Annabeth paused to take a deep breath and gather herself. "You don't have to pretend you care about me anymore, Percy. I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself and my son."

"Annabeth-"

"Percy... I'm giving you an out. Just take it."

There was a moment of silence that graced their conversation. Percy attempted to weigh his options. He couldn't. He knew exactly what he was going to do. He messed up once by leaving Annabeth for dead and he wasn't going to do it again. "No," he said defiantly. "I'm not going to take your out. I _really_ want to do this. I _want_ to be a father."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes even further. "You want to be a father?" Annabeth wondered what he was up to.

"Yes. I do." Percy stuck his chin out to show that he was truly intransigent* on the matter they were discussing. "I know that it's too late to make it up to you, but I want to be there for Anthony. I want to be the father that mine wasn't."

A thought dawned on Annabeth. "Is that what this is all about Percy?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "You wanting to prove to whoever it could possibly be that you're not your father? You wanting to prove to _yourself _that you're not your father?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" Percy yelled out loud. The room went deadly silent. Annabeth's eyes flickered to the closed door on the second floor. A minute passed.

"You should go," Annabeth spoke up once they were sure that Anthony was not disturbed.

Percy shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving until you let me be a father to my child." Percy never thought he'd ever hear that sentence move past his lips but here he was. "Annabeth... Please... _This is me begging. _I want to help you. Nothing has to happen between us if you want. I just want to see my son grow up."

Annabeth looked into Percy's deep eyes. Those were the eyes she grew up with. The eyes that she had grown accustomed to. She never thought she would be judging them. The last time she looked at him in a calculating manner was when they had first met and she was trying to size him up. Those eyes had always been full of laughter, joy, happiness. Now, their light has faded and was left with a dim glow that portrayed all of the hardships that he has gone though, but amongst all the pain, sorrow, and hurt that had filled his past, was sincerity floating around in there as well. She began to think about how she wanted her son to grow up. Of course she wanted him to have a male role model in his life but she had always thought that it would be Grover or even Luke, Thalia's fiancé. Now Percy was here begging for the job that he was supposed to get years ago. She thought long and hard about this. Percy fidgeted underneath her gaze, wondering what was running through her mind during the 10 minute evaluation. Finally, Annabeth came to a decision.

"Fine," was all she said.

"What?" Percy was absolutely dumbfounded. She was... _Letting him?_

"You can be a father."

"Really?" Percy was getting giddy.

"Yes. You can watch him during my work hours so I don't have to take him to the office and have him color for eight hours or send him to the daycare. You have to be here by seven-thirty tomorrow morning. I leave at seven-forty-five. I'll be back by four-thirty. I'll leave you a list with everything you need to know about him as well as a list of contact numbers."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure about what?"

"About letting me watch Anthony?" Percy looked sheepish.

"Do you want me to change my mind?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

Percy paled. "N-No! Of course not!"

Annabeth smirked. "Ok then, go home. You have long day tomorrow."

Percy literally jumped for joy. Annabeth stood up to walk him out. As they reached the door, Percy turned to face her. "Thank you, Annabeth." He smiled a small smile.

"It's no problem. Really." She looked him in the eye. Percy didn't know what overcame him but he wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her around.

After he set her down, he bolted down the pathway to his car before she could say anything and called over his shoulder, "You won't regret this! I promise!"

With that, he drove away leaving Annabeth frozen in the doorway. The place where he touched her was burning. Annabeth didn't know if it was because she absolutely hated his guts and the fact that he dared to hold her in such an intimate way or she still had some sliver of feelings for him. She hoped desperately that it wasn't the latter.

_What have I done?_

* * *

_*_intransigent: inability to compromise; stubborn

I learned that as a part of my vocab list for APLIT. I might start throwing in those words because it helps me remember what they mean and how to use them... Don't worry... I'll give you the meanings down at the bottom if I do. :)

I hope you liked this chapter! It's longer and the end isn't too much of a cliff hanger. Let me know what you think by leaving a review!

Also... Do you guys actually read my spiels in the beginning and the end?

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	6. Chapter 6

HEY GUYS! It's been about five days... did you miss me? yeah... I've been real busy... two projects, volleyball, creative writing assignments, volleyball, college apps, volleyball, tests, volleyball, AP classes... oh yeah... did I mention volleyball? ANYWAYS, I have a little surprise for you... CHAPTER 6! It took me FOREVER to write this in between all of the other stuff I've got going on. Also, our school gave us these nifty little laptops so I can look like I'm working when I'm really writing for you. It works especially in Creative Writing class... ;)

**Chloe (Guest):** I'm glad you love it! :)

**Guest:** Well... THANK YOU! I'm glad you like the plot line. :) I've been told that I like to rush a story so I'm really trying to take a step back and slow down.

**hunterLEADER: **I will try to crank these out as quick as I can. You're always there to review and I absolutely love you for it. Imma tell you this but it goes for EVERYONE: _If you have a certain scene that you would like to see (I'm always looking for some whether it's fluff or a really deep, heartfelt moment or even just a little jealousy or fight) I will DEFINITELY TRY to fit it in as best as I can to the story._

**MidnightBoredom:** YES! but can he stay in?

**lillie (Guest):** Thanks for loving it! Yes... There will be Percabeth but it might come a bit slowly... Just hang in there and I PROMISE you will get some!

**SeaBreeze Daughter of Poseidon:** HAHA! Thanks! and I really loved your review! :)

And as always...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

Percy woke up the next morning at six o'clock. Annabeth told him to be at the house by seven-thirty and he did not want to be even the slightest bit late. Rolling out of bed, Percy walked over to his bathroom, brushed his teeth, took a shower, and got dressed. He put on something simple: jeans and a blue v-neck shirt with black converse chucks. Unknowing of his breakfast arrangements at Annabeth's house, Percy grabbed an energy bar from his pantry on the way out the door. That was good enough for him since it's what he usually ate on a regular basis anyway. He grabbed his keys and moved to the front door. Once he crossed the threshold, he locked the door behind him and made his way down to his car. After locating his car in the lot adjacent to his building, he unlocked it, stepped in, and started the blue Benz sedan. The clock on his dash read five past seven. He reversed out of the parking spot and began the fifteen minute drive to Annabeth's house. Due to traffic, Percy actually pulled into Annabeth's driveway a minute before seven-thirty. Turning off his car, he rushed to the front door, locking the Benz in the process. He knocked on the door just as his clock turned to read half-past seven.

The door opened to reveal Annabeth, clad in heels, a grey blouse, black suit pants, and a matching blazer. Her hair was up in a very professional bun unlike the usual sloppy ponytail. "Wow, you're right on time," Annabeth praised. Percy placed a lopsided smirk on his face, feeling very good about himself. "I didn't think you'd actually show up." Just like that, the smirk disappeared as fast as it came. "Come inside. There's breakfast in the kitchen if you're hungry. Anthony is in there eating right now. I have to go grab a couple more things upstairs then I'll be back down to give you some last minute tips." Annabeth began moving deeper into the house and Percy followed suit after shutting the door behind him. He still hadn't said one word to her yet and he so desperately wished he could. Once they passed the main foyer, Annabeth branched off toward the stairs leaving Percy to go by himself into the kitchen. The first thing he noticed was the little boy sitting on the island's bar stool that he himself was perched on just last night. The child's head was buried into his eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Percy cleared his throat. The kid looked up. Then back down.

"Hi," Percy said nervously. "I'm Percy. Percy Jackson."

"Are you da man that was here last night?" The little boy looked back up once more. His eyes every bit as calculating as his mother's.

"Umm... Yes.. I am." Percy shifted uncomfortably. He mentally scolded himself. How could he let a two year old make him feel like this. _Because he's Annabeth's son._

"Oh. I'm Anthony Chase." Percy's eyebrow rose.

_She didn't give him my last name,_ he thought.

_Well why would she,_ the little voice at the back of his head questioned.

_I don't know... Wishful thinking I guess._

"Well, it's nice to meet you Anthony." Percy gave the boy a sincere smile. He suddenly wondered if Annabeth had ever told him who his father was or what happened to him. Probably not since he was only two years old. _A smart two year old._

The clacking sound from upstairs got louder as Annabeth made her way down. "Andy, sweetie, Mommy's gotta go to work now."

Anthony moved his head slightly so he could get a better view of his mother. "I not coming?" Percy noticed for the first time that he was only wearing Finding Nemo pajamas.

"Not today, sweetheart. Percy is going to take care of you," Annabeth said as she moved to embrace her son. "You better behave for him. Don't give him a hard time OK?"

"Yes Mommy." Anthony nodded.

"That's my good boy. Now, give Mommy a kiss." Anthony stood up and place a kiss on his mother's cheek. "Alright kiddo, I gotta get going." She ruffled his hair. "I love you!"

"I lub you too!"

Annabeth made her way to the front door with Percy on her heels. Just as she exited the home she turned around. "All of the contact information and the list of things you need to know are on the coffee table in the living room."

Percy nodded. "OK."

She turned to leave but stopped. "He doesn't know you're his father," she said as if reading his thoughts from earlier. "All he knows is that that his dad had to leave on a very important job assignment because he was a marine biologist and that I never had a chance to tell him." She closed her eyes for a quick second before she opened them and continued. "He understands for the most part and doesn't think you're a jerk. We'll tell him that you're his dad after he gets to know you and has his own opinion." Percy simply nodded, stunned.

She continued to the dark grey Lexus IS 250 as if nothing had happened. Annabeth held the handle and the car unlocked itself. Just as she was about to step in, she called, "If you have any questions, give me a call."

Percy, breaking out of his stupor, gave her a thumbs up, letting her know that he heard her. Finally, after a lingering gaze on Annabeth's part, she stepped into her car and drove off.

He made his way back into the house, closing the door once again behind him. Percy found Anthony in the living room watching Spongebob. He decided to leave the kid alone for a little bit as he cleaned up in the kitchen. There was just enough food for him left so he ate it then washed all of the dishes and placed them in the dish-washing rack to dry.

Once he was certain he did a good job, he decided to go sit in the living room and watch Spongebob with his son. Anthony didn't even bat an eye when Percy took a seat next to him. They watched for a good two hours before Percy got antsy. He turned to Anthony. "So you like Spongebob?" Anthony nodded, not tearing his eyes away from the screen. "That's cool. I loved Spongebob when I was a kid. I still do." Anthony gave no response. Eyeing his pajamas, Percy decided to take a leap of faith. "My favorite movie was and always will be Finding Nemo. In fact, every time your mother and I got together with friends to watch a movie, that was the only thing I ever suggested. Ask her. It's a true story."

Anthony turned to face him, a new light in his eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Percy was smiling now. Now they were getting somewhere.

"I heard that they gon' make another one!" Anthony shifted so that he was on his knees facing Percy.

"Yeah! They are! It comes out in October."

Anthony's eyes grew wide. "That's when my birfday is! Will you take me?"

Percy chuckled. "Sure. When's your birthday?"

Anthony furrowed his brow. "Uh... Octobuh..twenty-eight."

"How old are you going to be?" Percy knew, he just wanted to continue this conversation.

"Twee!" Anthony held up four fingers as if to emphasize his answer. Percy laughed. He put down the boy's pinky finger to make it three.

"It's 'three', Anthony," he said smiling.

"Y'know my Mommy calls me Andy," he said. "You can too if you want."

Percy was ecstatic. He was making great progress with Anthony. "Andy it is," he replied. They shook hands as if imitating a deal being made. They continued to watch TV except this time, Anthony sat right next to Percy with Percy's arm around the child. If this was what having a child was like, Percy wasn't complaining. Suddenly, Percy's phone went off. He reached into his pocket and checked the screen. His boss. "I'll be right back OK Squirt?" Anthony nodded. Percy ruffled Andy's hair and went into the kitchen to take the call.

"Percy," his boss said.

"Hey, Jeremy," Percy greeted his boss.

"Listen, I need you to come in today. A couple of the sharks got into a fight and one of them came out pretty hurt. We do have others on duty, I know, but no one has a way with any of the animals like you do," Jeremy explained.

"Jeez, Jer... See... I'm a bit busy right now..."

"What could you possibly be doing on a Monday morning? As far as I know, you only work for the Aquarium and you're so high up that you're only on-call because of all of those great breakthroughs you brought us."

"Well..." Percy lowered his voice so that Anthony had no chance of accidentally overhearing. "I'm with my son."

"YOU HAVE A SON?!" Jeremy yelled.

"Would you shut up? I quite like to hear," Percy hissed.

"How do you have a son?" Jeremy asked.

"I was married a few years back but we got a divorce. She never told me about him until just recently," Percy explained.

"Well... That sucks... But I still need you to come in. I'm sorry. Is there anyway you can make that happen?"

"Uhh... I'll have to talk to his mom first. I'll see if I can take him with me."

"That's fine. I just need you here ASAP."

"OK."

With that, Percy hung up and dialed in Annabeth's re-added number. "Hello?"

"Hey, Annabeth."

"Percy? It's only been two hours. Give up already?" Percy could practically see the smug smirk on her face.

"No," he defended. "We're actually getting along great."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to ask if I could take him to the aquarium."

"The New York Aquarium? That's all the way in Manhattan Beach! Why?"

"Well, I'm the head Marine Biologist there now and I know that he likes water so I thought a trip there would be fun. I could give him an exclusive tour."

"Wait, you're the head Marine Biologist at the Aquarium," Annabeth asked. "Don't you have to be at work?"

"No," Percy answered. "Because I'm head Marine Biologist and have led pretty much every breakthrough there, I'm more of a supervisor now and all of the other Marine Biologists know what they have to do and just send me a text or email whenever they have a question or an update. I actually work on-call now. Which means that I only have to come in whenever they really need my help or are having any problems with the animals," Percy explained.

"And they pay you just like that?" Annabeth sounded bewildered and Percy could just imagine the look on her face.

"As if I work eight hours a day, five days a week," Percy said proudly.

"Wow."

"So... Can I take him?"

"Uh... Sure..."

"Cool! Thanks!" Percy was about to hang up when Annabeth called him back. "Yeah?"

"There's an extra car seat in the garage. You can't leave without him being strapped in that."

"Alright," Percy said. "I'll call you if anything else comes up."

"OK."

With that, the former couple hung up their phones and continued with their day. Percy smiled to himself and went into the living room to tell Anthony their new plan. "Anthony," he called.

"Yeah Percy?" The young boy pivoted in his seat to look at him.

"I just talked to your mom. How would you like to go to the Aquarium with me?"

Anthony's eyes widened. "Really?"

Percy chuckled. "Yeah. Go get dressed, we'll leave as soon as you're ready." He laughed as Anthony leaped off the couch and flew up the stairs. Five minutes later, the small boy came down the stairs clad in a green shirt that had a picture of a trident on the front, blue jeans, and sneakers that lit up green with every step he took. Percy smiled at the sight and lifted the car seat he had located in the garage while he waited for his son. "Ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Then let's go!"

The two made their way out of the house and Percy locked the door using the spare key he had found under the porch owl where it had always been. Soon, Percy figured out how to put the car seat in his car - with help from Anthony - and strapped his son in. Once both of them were buckled into the Benz, Percy pulled away from the curb and began the drive to the New York Aquarium. The twenty-two minute drive from Brooklyn Heights to Surf Avenue near Manhattan Beach was spent singing any and all songs on the radio by Percy and clapping, cheering, and laughing by Anthony. The father and son were getting along just great. As he sang along to "Call Me Maybe," Percy wished that this wasn't the first time he got to do this with his son. Had he not left Annabeth all those years ago, the three of them could have been a happy family. For the billionth time since it happened, Percy found himself wondering what had gotten into him. The song ended and the car lapsed into silence as the two boys waited for the radio commercials to end and for the next song to begin. Percy snuck a glance back at Anthony and saw him with a huge smile on his face, teeth not fully grown in yet, but getting there. Percy smiled back and returned his attention to the road.

Finally, Percy pulled into the New York Aquarium's staff parking lot and unstrapped Anthony from the seat. The two then made their way in, walking past the long line of customers who began complaining as soon as the father and son entered without needing any tickets or having to go through the security gate. As they approached the newly added Shark Exhibit, Percy turned to Anthony. "Hey, Squirt, listen. I've got some stuff that I need to take care of first and then, we can do whatever it is that you want to do here. Is that Ok?" Anthony nodded in approval. "OK. This is where I work so I need you on your best behavior. Can you do that for me?" Anthony smiled wide and nodded again. "Alright. That's my good boy." With that, the pair walked hand-in-hand through the door marked 'Authorized Personnel Only'.

Percy led the way to his office with Anthony closely behind. Percy opened the door and gathered all the things he needed. Leaving Anthony to wait, Percy changed into a set of scrubs and a lab coat. An ID was attached to the breast pocket on the white jacket. Calling Anthony from his perch, Percy showed him to the room where he will be tending to the injured shark.

"OK Squirt, I'm gonna need you to sit on this stool as still as you can so that I can help the shark," Percy instructed, placing his son on said stool.

"W'as wrong wid him?" Anthony's eyes widened in concern.

"Nothing. He was just showing the other sharks how tough he is and accidentally hurt his fin. I'm going to make him feel better." Percy smiled.

"OK," Anthony said in relief. Percy ruffled the young boy's hair and got to work.

The cut was minor so it only took Percy about thirty minutes before the shark's fin was stable enough for him to swim around in an isolated tank. Anthony was watching every move he made completely enraptured. After washing his hands thoroughly, Percy finished the required paperwork and called on one of the other Marine Biologists. Adam was the first to respond to Percy's page, seeing as he was the new intern. "Adam, I need you to watch over Bruce here until his fin is completely healed. Once you think he's ready, call me for a follow-up, then we can put him back into the habitat." Adam nodded eagerly and wrote down the instructions.

"Anything else, sir?"

"No. Not at the moment. I'm heading out now," Percy said. "Tell Jeremy that he's lucky I love my job."

"Yes, sir."

"You're dismissed." The intern scuttled away in order to complete his new directions.

Percy turned to the boy who was sitting on his stool, chin resting on his hands, staring at the small tank of fish sitting on the counter. For what seemed like the millionth time that day, Percy smiled. He realized that he loved to watch his son. It was obvious that Anthony had inherited numerous traits from Percy but he couldn't help but pick out the things that reminded him so much of Annabeth. The first thing was obviously his eyes. They were just as grey as his mother's. Not a hint of green in them. Whenever Percy looked into them, he swears he feels like he's looking at Annabeth. While Anthony's eyes are the predominant trait acquired from Annabeth, Percy also noticed that the mother and son pair both shared an endless curiosity. Anthony hadn't asked him a bunch of questions yet, but Percy knew that wherever they went, Anthony would focus on anything and everything as if trying to analyze it from the inside-out. Percy also noticed that when Anthony was really focused on something, he would stick his tongue out slightly and his eyebrows would come together just like Annabeth's would. He knew because that was the exact look Anthony was giving the fish tank. "Hey squirt," Percy laughed. Anthony seemed to have a hard time pulling his attention away from the object he was so entranced by. _Yet another thing that was so Annabeth-like._ "You ready for a tour around the Aquarium?" That sentence alone caused Anthony to whip around in his seat and nod his head to the point where he looked like a bobble-head driving on gravel.

Returning to his office, Percy gathered all of his things and changed back into his normal clothes. The two then went to explore the rest of the Aquarium. Anthony was so fascinated by every exhibit and even Percy found himself awestruck by a number of them even though he had helped design them. Just like Percy predicted, Anthony asked every question that came to his mind and, lucky for him, Percy knew all of the answers. It was around one in the afternoon when Percy's stomach began to growl. He ignored it, however, not wanting to ruin his son's fun. A little while later - about two minutes - Anthony's stomach growled as well. The young boy pulled lightly on Percy's hand. "Percy, I'm hungry."

"You are?" Percy asked playfully. Anthony nodded. "Well, lucky for you, I know just the place to go. How does pizza sound to you?"

The two boys made their way back out to the car where Percy once again strapped Anthony down then buckled himself into the seat. Starting up the car, they took off down Surf Avenue. They passed up Coney Island and Anthony gasped. "You wanna go there later?" Percy asked.

"YEAH!" Anthony was bouncing in his seat at this point, full of excitement.

Percy laughed. "Alright. We'll see if we have time." Percy pulled into the parking lot of a shop called _Danny Boy's Pizza_. The pair made their way inside and ordered what just so happened to be both of their favorites. "I'll take one large pepperoni pizza with olives, pineapples, Italian sausages, and bacon." Anthony smiled up at Percy, amazed and wondering how he knew exactly what he wanted. Percy winked down at Anthony and handed over his credit card to the cashier. The cashier swiped the card and returned it to its owner along with an order ticket. Percy led them to the outdoor dining room where they had an overlook of the Atlantic Ocean. Anthony picked a table right at the rail so they had the best view of the beach.

"Order 21!" Percy looked at his ticket. _Order 21._

"Stay here. Don't move." Percy left the boy at the table and went to pick up their lunch but not without keeping the young boy in his peripheral vision. "Thanks," Percy said as he exchanged the ticket for the box. As he navigated through the maze of tables, Percy's phone rang. He balanced the box on one hand as he dug around his pocket for his phone. Without checking the caller ID, he answered and put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Percy?"

"Oh. Hey Annabeth." Percy's voice was slightly raised as the crowd around him seemed to drown out his voice.

"Percy? Per-Percy! Why are you yelling? Where are you?"

"Hello? Annabeth?" Percy finally exited the loud dining room and out onto the deck. Immediately, Percy could hear Annabeth much better.

"Percy," Annabeth yelled. By instinct, Percy pulled the phone away from his ear.

"Ow! It's not loud anymore Annabeth. No need to yell."

"Sorry," she said, not a hint of guilt in her voice.

"Anyways... What's up?"

"Nothing... Just wanted to know how Anthony is doing."

"He's fine. We're here at _Danny Boy's Pizza._ He loved the aquarium!"

"That's good." She sounded distant. Percy decided to ignore it.

"Yeah... If we have some time after, we might go to Coney Island for a little bit."

"Really? Ok then." Annabeth went silent for a bit. Percy sat down on his seat across from Anthony. "Can I talk to Andy?"

"Sure," Percy said. "Hey Squirt, it's your mom." He handed the phone to the boy.

"Hi Mommy!...GREAT!...YEAH!...We went to the Aquaweeum and now we gon' have pizza!...Yes...OK...I lub you too!" Anthony pulled the phone away from his ear. "Here you go Percy. Mommy wanna talk to you."

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"Wassup?"

"He really seems to like you. Don't screw this up."

"Don't worry. I won't."

Annabeth was silent for a while. "I'll see you later," she finally said then hung up before he could respond. Percy put his phone back in his pocket, confused, but he shook it off. He turned his attention back to his son.

"Are you ready to eat?!"

"YEAH!"

"Then let's dig in!" Percy opened the box to reveal their lunch. The two boys practically inhaled their meal and soon, not a single crumb was left. Percy and Anthony brushed off their hands in a similar fashion and they both stood up to throw the now empty box away. Percy checked the time. _2:00._ Percy supposed they had enough time for Coney Island but he was exhausted both physically and mentally. _Who knew spending an easy day like this would be so tiring?_ "Hey Squirt, I think we're gonna have to pass on Coney Island."

"AWW! WHY?!" Anthony looked like he was gonna have a conniption.

"Well, it's a pretty long drive back and we gotta get to your house before your mom does."

"BUT I WANNA GO!" Anthony was beginning to start a scene and Percy had no idea what to do. People were starting to look over and he didn't want to seem like a pushover.

"No, Anthony. We're going home now," he said firmly. "We can go another time." Percy picked up Anthony and carried him fireman style out of the restaurant, secretly tickling his sides with every step. Anthony began laughing and kicking but stopped once Percy put him down beside the car. He opened the door and pointed for Anthony to get in. The young boy hopped in and positioned himself in his seat. After buckling his son up, Percy got in the driver's seat, put on his seat-belt and started up the car, and began the long trek home.

They pulled up to the house a good thirty minutes later. Percy got them both out of the car and back into the house. "Hey Squirt, how about we watch some more TV? You can pick the show." Anthony squealed in delight, kicked off his shoes and ran into the living room. Percy chuckled. _Man, that kid's got a lot of energy._ Percy followed his son's example and removed his shoes as well before joining said boy on the couch. The two boys watched Nickelodeon for the longest time. Not even flinching when the Spongebob marathon ended and the channel began playing other shows like Sam and Cat or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Soon enough, the door opened to reveal a worn out Annabeth coming through the door. Percy shot up and went to take her bags and coat but she waved him off. He watched as she placed all of her stuff on the counter and moved to the couch. Anthony was too engrossed in the show to even notice his mother as she came up behind him.

"Boo!" Anthony screamed, flying out of his seat while Annabeth laughed.

"MOMMY," the little boy cried. He jumped up to give her a hug and kiss. Annabeth returned the embrace wholeheartedly and when they released, Percy cleared his throat. Annabeth's face went expressionless in an instant.

"Percy," she said indifferently.

"Annabeth," he replied. The three stayed silent for the longest time, the TV played softly in the background. "Well... I should be going now."

"What?" Anthony was absolutely crushed that his new friend was leaving so soon.

"Sorry Squirt, I have to go now," he said, stealing a glance at Annabeth.

"Aw..." Anthony physically deflated. His eyes drooped and his shoulders slumped. Not wanting to see her son so torn, Annabeth decided to speak up.

"Well... Maybe you don't have to go _so_ soon." Percy gazed at her astounded but she didn't dare meet his eyes. "You could join us for dinner."

Although Percy knew he should've declined as it was the proper thing to do, the look on Anthony's face changed his mind. "Uh... Sure."

Anthony jumped up and down as a response, unable to feel the tension between his parents. "What's for dinner Mommy?" he asked.

"Uhh..."

"How about we go out for dinner tonight," Percy cut in. "My treat."

Anthony agreed immediately and eventually, Annabeth gave in. At around six, the three piled into Percy's car and he drove them to _Shake Shack_. There, they ordered burgers and milkshakes and began to have a nice pleasant dinner together. Anthony was so busy focusing on his food and DS that he barely paid his parents any attention. Percy and Annabeth talked about the little things, never talking about their previous relationship. Both found their conversation to be decent enough and Percy found that he still liked Annabeth. Even though she was complaining about the architectural firm she currently worked at, Percy couldn't help but notice the ever present sparkle in her eyes. She was so dedicated to the things that she loved. He wanted so badly to be with her again but he knew that it would never happen. Annabeth never forgets what anyone has ever done to her. Naturally, Percy's hope was gone. There was nothing he could do about Annabeth. All he needed to do now was just focus on his son. Annabeth seemed to pick up on Percy's shift in mood as she stopped talking and looked at him in concern. "Are you OK?" Percy snapped out of his reverie.

"Huh? Oh... Yeah..." He waved it off. "I'm fine. No worries."

"Are you sure?" Annabeth reached over and touched his hand. Percy stared at the place of contact. He swore he could feel electricity flowing through them.

"Um... Yeah," he gulped. "Just thinking."

"You think now?" Annabeth joked.

"Har har," Percy replied. The two of them went silent.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Annabeth looked up from the table to stare into Percy's eyes. She could see many different emotions swirling through them but she had no idea what they were. Percy stared back into her eyes wishing he could reveal his true feelings but he knew that it would be going too far and he didn't want to do that. Unable to hold it all in, Percy tore his eyes from Annabeth's and retracted his hand from her grasp.

"It's… nothing," he said finally but Annabeth wasn't buying it.

She lowered her voice when she said, "We may not be together anymore, Percy, and I may not know exactly what is on your mind, but I know that whatever it is, it's eating at you." Percy had half a mind to tell her the truth and he almost did but changed his mind at the last minute.

"You always were good at reading me," he began. Annabeth waited for him to continue. "I guess… I'm just stunned that I actually am a dad." It was true, but it was the least of his worries at the moment. "I've always wanted to be a dad and now…" Percy looked back into Annabeth's eyes. "I have the chance to be one but... I don't think I'm doing anything right." A sympathetic look grew Annabeth's face.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Percy," she said. "Every parent has their doubts. You may have not started out in the best way possible, but you're here now. I see the way Anthony looks at you. He absolutely adores you. If we tell him the truth, I don't think there would be any animosity between the two of you."

Percy gave her a small smile before looking over at the boy who showed no indication that his attention ever wavered from his video game. The night carried on and eventually, the trio decided that it was time to go. As they exited the restaurant, a woman stopped them. "Excuse me!" Percy and Annabeth both turned at the sound. "Hi, I just wanted to say that you have the most adorable family. How long have you two been married?" Annabeth blushed and Percy's face took on something that resembled an amused expression.

"Oh, Ma'am-" Annabeth began to protest but Percy cut her off.

"About six years now, right Annabeth?" Percy asked slinging an arm over Annabeth's shoulders. Annabeth was caught off guard.

"Uh… yeah… six years sounds about right," she replied playing along.

"Well I wish the best for you and your family."

"Thank you," Percy said.

Once the lady left, Annabeth threw Percy's arm off of her and smacked him in the chest. "What's wrong with you?" Her face was still red but this time, it wasn't because she was embarrassed.

"Ow! There's a child right there," Percy complained, pointing at Anthony.

"He's too busy playing his game to notice," she retorted. "Now, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about how embarrassing it would be for her if we had told her that we weren't together and how awkward it would be for us to have to explain our situation," Percy answered. "Trust me, I saved all of us from the trouble. And, it's not like we're ever going to see her again. What's the harm?" Annabeth huffed. Percy had a good point and she knew it.

"Let's just go home."

Percy would have pushed it further had she had been someone else but he knew how hard it was for Annabeth to admit she was wrong. Her pride was too big for that. Needless to say, Annabeth was grateful that Percy dropped the subject. They made their way to Percy's car and Percy strapped Anthony in after opening the door for Annabeth. As Percy settled himself into the driver's seat, Annabeth couldn't help but notice how mature Percy had gotten. She stared at him as he started the car. "What," he asked.

"Nothing," she replied, looking away. For the second time that night, to Annabeth's relief, Percy dropped the subject. The ride home was silent. Eventually, the music coming from Anthony's DS died down and was replaced by the sound of soft snoring. Finally, Percy parked the car on the curb right in front of Annabeth's house. They sat there in silence, both unsure of what to say. "Thank you," Annabeth finally said. Percy looked at her. "For tonight; today. Anthony doesn't have much of a male role model and now that you're here, he does," she elaborated. Percy nodded.

"Thank you," he said. Confusion laced its way through Annabeth's expression.

"Why are you thanking me?"

"I was a father before… but now… because you've given me a chance, I can be a dad," Percy answered, looking at his hands. "Even if he doesn't know, I can still be there for him." Annabeth felt bad for him. She told herself that she wasn't supposed to but she couldn't help it. There was always something that just pulled anyone and everyone to Percy. She, apparently, was no exception.

"We'll tell him soon," she said. "I promise." Percy nodded. They sat for another minute before Percy got out and pulled Anthony from his car seat.

He carried the small boy up to the front door with Annabeth on his heels. She opened the door and led him to the second floor where Anthony's room was. Once they were in, Percy laid the boy on the on the bed that had navy blue sheets while Annabeth searched the dresser for some pajamas. Percy took a step back as Annabeth went to change Anthony's clothes. Annabeth's movements were so tender that Percy felt as though he were intruding on an intimate moment. _I don't deserve to be here,_ he thought. Without a word or noise, Percy exited the room and began his way back to his car.

He reached the door and had pulled it open before Annabeth's footsteps resonated behind him. "Percy," she called. Said man turned to face her. "If you want, you can come over again tomorrow. I have work every weekday so…" She looked down then back up. "Anthony really seems to like spending time with you..." Percy simply nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," he said. He took a step but stopped. "Goodnight, Annabeth." With that, he left leaving Annabeth standing in the foyer unknowing of what was going through her ex's mind.

* * *

WHEW! Well... I hoped you liked that... I got bits and pieces of Percabeth in there... You guys have NO IDEA how hard I worked on this. Google Maps is one of my besties now. Yeah.. All the traffic times and locations? REAL. The restaurant? REAL. The street names? REAL. yeah... I went all out on this stuff... I even looked up all of the things that Marine Biologists do and what fun stuff there was to do at the Aquarium.

Well.. Off to go live the life of a high school senior... :P

Don't forget to Review, Favorite and Follow!

And remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys! I'm here with another update! I feel really suckish at the moment because as I was writing this... I had a moment of writer's block. It was terrible! I told my good friend **NiraKaulitz** about it and she said we all go through it eventually... (You should check her out BTW!) Anyways, I slept it out and BOOM! Here I am!

**Dt33345: **I can't wait either! LOL!

**justsomebooknerd: **Thank you! :)

**Leaf Son of Athena: **Thanks! And as for advice, I would just say: think of a topic - One of the best ways that I do that is by listening to a song and trying to think of a story that could be told by that song - then develop it by planning out where you want it to end and then break that down even further by how you want each chapter to end - this way, you have a solid plot line and you won't keep bouncing back and forth - and develop each character the way you want them to be - try to make them human as in with flaws, problems, insecurities, etc. Finally, throw in a bunch of description and sprinkle a bit of high level vocabulary and BOOM! You have yourself a story! P.S. Don't forget to always proofread :)

**hunterLEADER:** you're not getting rid of me that easy! :P and I appreciate your reviews!

**NinjaKillerOfWords: **thanks! I enjoyed writing it!

**lillie (Guest): **thanks and the more you review the more chance you get of getting on here! Remember, any scene you want to see, let me know and I'll try to get it in here!

And because I clicked agree when I signed up for this...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

Later that night, after Annabeth had showered and gotten ready for bed, she simply sat there, in said bed, unable to fall asleep. Her eyebrows were furrowed together as she thought about her ex. She couldn't help but notice how incredibly grown up he had been that whole day. It was admirable, in fact. It took Percy one day to do what others have tried for weeks or even months without success: befriend Anthony.

Anthony was always very picky about who he liked. It took a lot to break the young boy's closed off personality. He loved to think things through and create a very round opinion about a person before he decides that he likes them. Granted, Percy was his father. _But that has nothing to do with it,_ Annabeth thought. True enough, Anthony doesn't even know that Percy is his dad. That means that he must like him for who he is.

_That's not very hard to do._ Annabeth looked over at the empty side of the bed. The side that Percy used to occupy all those years ago. Percy had always been a very nice guy. Always helping out others and putting them first. Aside from their divorce, Percy had always been very loyal as well. She had no idea what had happened and their divorce had been such a blur. All she remembered was Percy and her showing up, setting the conditions since they never signed a prenup, signing papers, and leaving. She didn't talk to him in private at all. She wanted to though. Well, half of her wanted to talk to Percy and tell him about their unborn child but the other half held her back.

_He doesn't care,_ it said. _He wants out, not a child. He doesn't need to know. He doesn't _deserve_ to know._

Annabeth wanted to yell that he did deserve to know because it was his child too but she very well couldn't do that without her looking like an idiot. The voice inside her head also made the point that he cheated on her. _That was his choice._ It told Annabeth that she should give him the option of choosing her again and that's exactly what she did. She decided that she wasn't going to tell him, she wasn't going to say anything and she very well wasn't going to beg for him to come back. No, her pride was much to big for that. All she was going to do was sit back and see what he would do. If he decided that he truly wanted to be with her, she was going to give him all the time between the day she found those papers to the day they met for the last time which was the trial. She waited for him. He never showed up.

The day the trial ended was a very strange day for Annabeth. She didn't know if it was the pregnancy hormones getting to her or the fact that she was devastated that Percy truly was tired of her. Despite all of that, Annabeth put on a brave face and didn't give Percy the satisfaction of knowing that he broke her because he didn't. Annabeth was hurt, tortured, torn, exhausted, and pregnant. It was safe to say that the only reasons that she was able to handle the overflow of emotions and hormones was the fact that it had happened before on multiple occasions. She was a strong, independent black woman that didn't need a man* and she was going to prove it. But Annabeth could only be so strong for so long. That night, after the trial, once she was inside the safety of her own room, alone, Annabeth wept. Not a few tears sliding down her face but full, heart wrenching sobs that could not be controlled.

Annabeth ran her fingers over the sheets she sat on, then and now. She had never cried like that ever. Not when she was a child and vented all her frustrations onto Percy or even when she locked herself in her room without dinner because she couldn't stand to be in the same room as her father and his family, desperately wishing that he would come up to her with a plate and an apology. No, Annabeth liked to think that that night had not only been about Percy. It had been about her whole life. No, Percy didn't break her, she broke herself. Annabeth had allowed herself to let her walls fall for the night but as soon as morning came, they came back up as quickly as they tumbled, stronger than ever. She felt as if they had been built by brick before but now, they were made of concrete. Percy had moved on and now, so must she.

When she had given birth to Anthony, Thalia was with her in the room and continued to insist that she tell Percy but Annabeth refused. She argued that Percy didn't deserve to know but Thalia was persistent. In the end, Annabeth won the argument and even gave Anthony her last name. She debated whether or not she should put Percy's name on the birth certificate but Thalia absolutely put her foot down on the matter. Thanks to Thalia, it was legally documented that Percy Jackson had a son and he didn't even know.

But now Percy does know that he has a son. Annabeth figured it wasn't a mere coincidence that the two had run into each other at the supermarket; rather, it was some divine force that either wanted to punish Annabeth for her past decisions, reward Percy with a second chance, both, or simply, to see them both suffer. Annabeth put all of her money on the last option. Whichever one it was, it didn't seem to matter as Annabeth now had to face the two boys that had made a huge impact on her life. For the first time ever, she didn't know what she should do. Percy obviously adores Anthony and vice versa. There was absolutely no way she could question or deny that. Listening to both Percy and Anthony on the phone earlier that day when they were at _Danny Boy's Pizza_ had left Annabeth torn. There was no way she could cut the cords cleanly with Percy now that Anthony's feelings were involved. And later on that day, she could see the two interact as they waited for dinner to roll around. Anthony led Percy around a tour of the house, dragging him by the hand. Percy laughed and followed along pretending he had never seen it before and was completely and genuinely interested in everything Anthony had to say. Percy had proved her right. He was a phenomenal father even to a son that didn't know the truth.

At dinner, Annabeth noticed something off about Percy's mood. At first, he was completely emerged into their conversation but Annabetn could see his eyes grow distant as he thought about something that obviously bothered him. She decided that she should ask what was wrong. He hesitated in his answer multiple times before stating that he feared that he would fail as a father. And although it was a true concern, Annabeth knew that it wasn't the thought that appeared to haunt him. In the end, she decided to shake it off and reassure him that he was doing a great job and that all parents had the same worries. He simply smiled and looked at his son once more.

Finally, dinner had ended and they made their way home. As she watched Percy's interaction with the lady on the street and the way he helped both her and Anthony into the car, Annabeth couldn't help but wonder what happened to the boy she once knew. He had obviously grown up and become more sophisticated but not so sophisticated that he didn't know how to have fun anymore. He was able to learn how to balance his different personalities to work with the situation at hand. Annabeth was, to put it simply, impressed. She wondered what else Percy was capable of. _Who knows what he's gone through in those three years._

A thought to give Percy a second chance crossed Annabeth's mind, but it was immediately dismissed by the half that told her to leave. She couldn't do that. That would show that she was weak. _But he doesn't deserve any harsh treatment,_ she thought to the voice.

_Of course he does, he left you._

_But now, it's not about us. It's about what's better for Anthony._

The battle raged on inside of Annabeth's mind until she got the biggest skull-splitting headache. She shook her head to try and get rid of it and once she was calm, she pulled her knees up to her chest, rested her chin on them, and wrapped her arms around her legs. For the first time ever, she didn't know what she should do.

She analyzed every event that happened that day once more. For the most part, Percy had completely ambushed her, with his new and improved self, from left-field. Annabeth closed her eyes in an attempt to sort her thoughts. _What about just before he left_, she thought. Annabeth felt that that was definitely strange. One second, Percy was with her as they got Anthony ready for bed and the next, he was trying to make a silent escape. Annabeth didn't know what to think of it. When she finished changing Anthony's clothes, she turned, expecting to see Percy, but ended up facing a wall. At first, she thought that he must have gone to use the bathroom. She mentally scolded herself for thinking that. _He would have told me if he was going to the bathroom._ She went looking for him and found him halfway out the door. She wondered if he was going to walk out on them again. She had called his name to tell him off but once she got a look at the expression on his face, she decided against it. He looked absolutely crushed about... Well, Annabeth didn't know what. She figured that he was feeling insecure of his current situation and that he probably thought he couldn't ever be a good father despite Annabeth's earlier vote of confidence. She knew that even though he acts like he doesn't care and appears to be very confident in himself, Percy was always bringing himself down.

Because his father left him and his first step father hated him, Percy always believed that he was a nuisance to the people around him. Annabeth had hated it when he felt that way about himself. And, even though their current condition wasn't so great due to the fact that she was supposed to hate him, she still couldn't stand to see him like that. What came out of her mouth shocked her so much she had to look down because she couldn't bear to face him. Finally, after overcoming her initial shock, Annabeth looked back up and reassured him that Anthony truly did like him. Percy's reaction was expected but then he said he would be back tomorrow and _Goodbye_ to _her_, Annabeth was thrown way off guard. _What could he have meant by that?_ Annabeth stood in that spot in the foyer for the longest time trying to figure out what was going on with him. _Maybe I'm just over-thinking this whole thing,_ she thought._  
_

Tired of her own thoughts, Annabeth decided that she wasn't going to hurt herself by thinking this over way too much. It's happened before. She did not like that feeling. She settled herself into her bed, now ready to succumb to the tendrils of sleep, and ignored the voice protesting one last thought as it drifted through her mind.

_I will at least try to be nice._

* * *

*I know Annabeth isn't black... :P I just thought putting it there would be hilarious. I love that quote.

And there you have it!

And I really want you guys to do this!

_If you have a certain scene that you would like to see (I'm always looking for some whether it's fluff or a really deep, heartfelt moment or even just a little jealousy or fight) I will DEFINITELY TRY to fit it in as best as I can to the story._

_I also take any questions you might have!_

Don't Forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

and Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You


	8. Chapter 8

Here is Chapter 8! Yeah... Since there is so much stuff going on in this, I decided to split it into two parts. Also, this way I can get it out to you faster.

**justsomebooknerd: **Thanks! I am too! I feel like when I have Writer's Block, it affects all of my writing which doesn't not help because I take AP English and creative writing so... :-/

**hunterLEADER: **Hmmmmm... That's not a bad idea... I'll keep that in mind. :)

**Guest:** LOL! No, Annabeth isn't black. I just thought it would be funny To use that quote.

**NotKasandra:** *scoffs* I fixed it. And King, you are so adorable! LOL

**Leaf Son of Athena:** Anytime! :)

**Melissa daughter of Hecate:** Thanks!

**And finally,**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

The following week flew by without much happening. Percy had come over to Annabeth's house everyday while Annabeth went to work. Anthony loved this new arrangement while Percy and Annabeth were simply tolerating it. One thing that Percy did notice as the week went on was that he seemed to be progressively growing on Annabeth once more as she tended to act less and less hostile toward him. He was particularly thankful for that. Now, it was nine o'clock in the morning on a Saturday and Percy was on his way to Annabeth's house because he had promised Anthony that they would go to Coney Island since they didn't on Monday.

As he took the exit ramp off of the freeway, Percy turned up his radio and sang along to all of the songs that played, from "Radioactive" to "We Can't Stop." Finally, he made it to the right street and made a left. Four-hundred yards later, Percy pulled over to the curb, got out of his car, locked it, and made his way up to the home. Before he could even ring the doorbell, the mahogany door swung open, revealing a Cheshire grin on his two year old son. Percy smiled at the young boy and lifted him off the ground, letting himself inside. After securing the front door, Percy made his way into the kitchen where Annabeth was making breakfast for three. Percy greeted her and she greeted him. After putting Anthony down to let him continue watchig his morning cartoons, Percy helped his former wife finish up breakfast. Once the eggs were scrambled with cheese and the bacon fried to a crisp, Annabeth called their son to the table where they said their Grace and began eating.

Any outsider looking in might say that they were the epitome of families. The way that both parents looked at their child with unconditional love, laughing all throughout meal and reminiscing on past memories. What they wouldn't see is that the couple isn't really a couple. In fact, barely anyone would notice the way the two barely looked at each other and looked into the other's eyes even less. There was only one thing that the two adults had in common in order to create this so-called "family" and that was the need to make things the best they could for the young child.

After breakfast, Annabeth sent the two year old upstairs to his room to go change for Coney Island and began to clean off the table. Percy moved to help her but Annabeth declined any form of assistance from him. Percy's eyebrows shot up as he noticed that Annabeth was still wearing her soft, green short shorts and loose grey shirt with a large owl printed on the front. "Please don't tell me you're wearing that to an amusement park," Percy said, amused.

"I'm not," was Annabeth's reply.

"Good 'cuz-"

"I'm not wearing this to the amusement park because I'm not going, Percy."

Percy stopped. Slowly, his eyebrow came together and his head tilted slightly. "What do you mean you're not going?"

"This is you and Anthony's day," she explained. "I don't want to ruin it."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Oh come on Annabeth! Anthony and I have had plenty of days together where it was just me and him and hopefully, there will be plenty more!"

"Percy, I just don't-"

"Annabeth," Percy dead panned. "You're going. I know how much you want to spend time with your son. This is a great opportunity! Plus, you need to take some time to relax." Percy made his way over behind her, his lips close to her ear and his hands on her shoulders, clenching and relaxing in a rhythmic pattern. Annabeth's eyes fluttered closed. "And... The best part, you get to spend a whole day with me." Percy's voice dropped to a tone that was far more husky and sultry than normal. Annabeth quickly processed his words and jerked away from the smirking man.

"Ugh," she scoffed. "You're a pig."

Percy put his hands up in surrender. "I was just joking! Now, let me finish up here while you get dressed." Annabeth hesitated but eventually agreed.

"Fine."

Percy smiled to himself as Annabeth walked upstairs leaving him to finish cleaning. By the time both mother and son made their way back downstairs into the kitchen, Percy was already drying his hands off with the dish towel. Anthony was dressed in an Aquaman T-shirt, blue jeans, and his light up sneakers. Annabeth wore an open red flannel over a white v-neck, dark blue skinny jeans and dark grey, low-top chucks. Percy smiled at the two and clapped his hands. "Who's ready for Coney Island," he asked them. Anthony jumped up and down with his hands in the air while Annabeth simply shrugged. "Good enough. Let's go!"

The three left the house and made their way to the blue Mercedes Benz C350 Coupe. After everyone was secure, Percy started the car and the drive to Manhattan Beach. The estimated twenty-two minutes turned into forty-five due to the heavy traffic and so, the three pulled into the Coney Island parking lot at a quarter to eleven. Once the parking ticket was paid for and the wristbands purchased, Percy, Annabeth, and Anthony entered through the main gate and from there, Anthony led the way to what their next activity would be. Because Anthony was still two, but almost three according to him, they couldn't ride all of the big rides but Percy and Annabeth were totally and completely OK with that. As they waited for their son to get off of the teacup ride, Annabeth looked at Percy and as if sensing her gaze, Percy turned to her, eyes meeting. The sea to the sky. Percy smiled, Annabeth turned away afraid of what was happening o her. She couldn't let him in. She stole a glance at her ex through the corner of her eyes. His eyebrows were creased and his mouth was in a slight frown. Annabeth looked back at her son as he was laughing and screaming along with three other children. "So, how do like being a dad?"

Annabeth deemed it safe enough to look back at Percy and he was obviously taken by surprise. "Uhh... It's fine... I guess... " he stuttered. He took a second to gather his thoughts before he continued. "It definitely has its ups and downs but I really do enjoy it." Percy looked back at their child with a sparkle in his eyes. "He's a good kid," he said, his eyes growing darker. "You raised him well. I just-" he looked down, then back up except this time, he looked at Annabeth. "I just wish that I was there to help you. Then we wouldn't be in this mess. I don't know what got into me when I made the choice that ruined my life and yours." Percy looked away and seemed to try and focus on anything but the blonde beside him. Annabeth, on the other hand, continued to look at him, taking in every feature of her former husband. He continued to surprise her everyday they see each other and Annabeth still didn't know what to think of it. Soon, she was broken out her reverie when the ride began to slow and Anthony stepped off. Percy's face broke out into a grin as their son approached them. The young boy ran straight into his father's arms and was lifted into the air and rested on a hip. "D'you have fun Squirt?"

"YEAH!" The child cheered. Watching the two boys continue to bond, Annabeth felt the familiar tug in her heart. The trio went on a couple of more rides before Anthony announced he was hungry. They went to the nearest food vendor and ordered hot dogs, two for Percy, and sodas for everyone and a funnel cake. The sat at one of the tables and began to dig in. Halfway through his second hot dog, Percy got a call and excused himself from the table. He walked just out of earshot before he answered.

"Hello?"

"H-Hello, Mr. Jackson?" Percy didn't recognize the voice but the only people that called him 'Mr. Jackson' were the people at the Aquarium.

"Yes?"

"Hello, sir, it's Adam. I hope I'm not interrupting something. I just wanted to let you know that Bruce is all good and we just need your approval to put him back in the habitat."

"Oh. OK. I'll see if I can drop by later," Percy said.

"OK." With that, the two men hung up the phone and Percy made his way back to the table.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. Annabeth merely nodded. Anthony, however, was as interested as ever.

"Who was it," he asked. Percy chuckled.

"It was one of my co-workers." At that, Annabeth perked up. Percy never really talked about his job.

"At the Aquaweeum?"

"Yeah."

"What he say?"

"Nothing really, just that Bruce was all better and if you wanted to see him later, then it's OK." Anthony got extremely excited after that.

"Can we go?" Anthony looked hopeful and Percy decided he would like to try something he'd seen done a million times and had always wanted to do himself.

"Sure, but only if your mom is OK with it." Percy sat back amused as Anthony turned is attention to Annabeth and practically begged. Annabeth looked like she didn't know what to do and Percy snickered. Annabeth, catching Percy through the corner of her eye, sat up a little straighter in order to gain better control of the situation.

"That's fine with me." Anthony cheered.

"We can go whenever you guys are ready." Anthony inhaled the rest of his food and chugged the rest of his drink.

"I ready now," he said in his most serious voice.

Percy burst out laughing and even Annabeth chuckled at the young boy's antics. Percy and Annabeth cleaned up the rest of their trash and they made their way back to the car. Annabeth was particularly excited to go to the Aquarium for the sole reason that she had yet another opportunity to learn more about Percy.

Five minutes later, Percy pulled into his reserved parking spot and led the other two past the front door, once again, bypassing tickets and security. When they reached the 'Authorized Personnel' door, Percy turned to Anthony. "You remember the rules?" Anthony nodded in response. Before Percy turned back to the door, he gave Annabeth a quick wink.

Percy led Annabeth and Anthony through the corridors to his office. He unlocked the door to his office and told them to wait there while he went and changed. With Percy's absence, Annabeth took it upon herself to explore the office. It was very simple. A desk with a couple of pictures and a computer and bookshelves full of marine biology books. Curious as to what the two picture frames on his desk were, Annabeth went to look at them. She picked up one and took a long look. She recognized the three faces that graced the frame. They were Percy, as a teen, Sally, his mother, and Paul, his second step-father. They were smiling into the camera and looked very content. Annabeth placed it back down and moved to the next one. The frame was much closer to the computer screen so Annabeth imagined that Percy spent a lot of time seeing it if he ever stayed to work in his office. She picked it up and flipped it over. Shocked by what she saw, Annabeth nearly dropped the frame. She was not expecting to see a picture of him and her on their first night together on their honeymoon. It was a simple picture. Annabeth had taken it. Both she and Percy wore white - her a white sundress, him a white, short-sleeved button down - and they were laughing. Percy was trying to give Annabeth a kiss but she had playfully pushed him away so that she could take the picture. Percy's face was all smushed up by her hand but you could see that he was smiling by the visible corners of his mouth and Annabeth's face was scrunched up by the amount of force she needed to keep Percy at bay but you could definitely see that she was having the one of the best times of her life. Annabeth began to tear up with the new knowledge that Percy still kept that photo. She put the picture back down and wiped her eyes to get rid of the tears threatening to fall.

Suddenly, Percy walked back into his office now dressed in his scrubs and a lab coat. Annabeth spun on her heels to face him, surprised. He raised an eyebrow at her but didn't press for an explanation. Instead, he turned to Anthony who had taken up playing on his DS. "Well, if I knew that all you were gonna do is play video games, I wouldn't have brought you." Anthony looked up rapidly and shut off his game in an instant. Percy laughed at the boy. "I'm kidding, Squirt. Ready to see Bruce?" Anthony nodded. "Well, let's go." Anthony dashed out of the room leaving his parents in the dust. Annabeth was about to follow when Percy held her back. "Are you OK?" he asked to her dismay. She wished that he hadn't seen her but he must have caught something.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" she answered defiantly.

"I'm just wondering is all. You look a little down."

"You don't have to worry about me, Percy. I told you that already. All you need to focus on now is Anthony." Percy's demeanor deflated but he nodded nonetheless. He released Annabeth's arm and walked out toward the lab and his son, leaving his ex to follow. Percy didn't say another word to Annabeth as they made their way through the corridors. Once they got to the lab, Anthony was already sitting on his stool by the fish tank waiting patiently. Percy simply pointed for Annabeth to join her son on the stools. He then went to the intern for the chart and a more thorough update. After examining the shark one last time, Percy scribbled his observations and his new order on the chart. He handed the chart to Adam, the intern, and made his way back to Annabeth and Anthony. Percy looked at Anthony, not even taking a glance at his ex.

"Hey, Squirt, you wanna see them put Bruce back in the water with all of his friends?" The little boy bounced in his seat.

"Yeah!" Percy laughed and led them back out to the exhibit where they and a couple of other tourists got to see the shark return to the habitat.

Percy was talking to some of the maintenance men and Anthony was watching the sharks as they moved in packs around the tank. Annabeth stood there feeling slightly out of place when someone tapped her shoulder. She spun around and was face to face with a man, probably her age, with short, cropped, brown hair that was brought up front by a bit of gel. He wore khaki cargo shorts and a green muscle tee under an open Hawaiian shirt. "Hey," he said.

"Hi..." Annabeth stared at the man in front of her, apprehensive of his intentions.

"I'm Mark."

"Good to know." Annabeth did not want to have anything else on her mind.

"Well, I've never really seen you around these parts. Is this your first time down here?"

"Yeah, actually."

"That's cool. Are you visiting?"

"I actually live up north from here probably about twenty, thirty minutes?"

"That's cool. You should come down more often. I will personally show you around."

"No, that's OK-"

"I insist," he said with a hint of finality. He pulled a scrap sheet of paper from his pocket, Annabeth had no idea why he had that, and borrowed a pen from a tourist walking by and jotted down his number. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "If you're ever in town or just looking for something fun to do." Annabeth nodded slowly and took the paper from his surprisingly soft hands. He smiled one more time before turning and walking away. Annabeth stored the number in her pocket. She didn't know what she was going to do with it just yet. This had never happened before and it was strange. Annabeth turned to see Percy with a deep scowl on his face but he turned to Anthony, told him something, and walked away. Once she was sure it was clear, Annabeth walked up to her son.

"Hey, sweetie," she said.

"Hi Mommy," he replied, keeping his eyes glued to the tank in front of him.

"Andy, what did Percy say?" Annabeth was nervous as to what Percy could have possibly said to him but knew that it wouldn't have been that bad since Anthony was only two.

"He said he was gon' change, then we gon' leave." Annabeth nodded. She was growing more confused as to what was going on in Percy's mind.

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And there is part 1! :D so... Can we make a deal? If I can get at least 15 reviews, I will post part 2 ASAP!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	9. Chapter 9

You guys are AWESOME! Just like I promised, here it's Chapter 9 (AKA Part 2)

**pinkiepie0706: **Sorry for the lack of Percabeth but it will come soon!

**Greek Wise Girl:** You'll get some of his thoughts right now! :)

**Irishgirl15:** Thanks so much! That really means a lot!

**Colts12broncos18: **Thanks!

**Guest (1):** The more often you guys review on a regular basis, the more inclined I am to keep writing which gets updates out so much faster.

**Guest (2): **If you went to beat Mark up, that would be fine. LOL! I can't promise he will disappear so soon though.. ;)

And we must never forget...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

Percy was beyond pissed. Who did that guy think he was? He was totally hitting on Annabeth! And Annabeth. Percy thought she was supposed to be smart. _Did she not know he was hitting on her?_ He stormed into his office and slammed the door shut. He walked around to his seat behind his desk and just collapsed. He stared at the ceiling for what felt like forever. Eventually, Percy sat up and stared at his desk. His eyes drifted to the picture frame that sat right by his computer to always remind himself of the biggest thing he'd ever messed up. He picked it up and held the frame with such reverence, wishing for those days to return; for time to rewind in order to give him a second chance.

He remembered the night the picture was taken. Percy and Annabeth had just landed in Mikonos, Mykonos, Greece for their two week honeymoon. They decided to go all out: first class tickets, the honeymoon suite at one of the many five star resorts, dress in white, and spend their first day just relaxing in together in the room. Percy had been extremely exhausted from the eighteen hour travel time from New York to the Grecian Island with stop overs in Milan, Italy and Athens, Greece which Annabeth had enjoyed. They had spent the four hour stop in Milan getting breakfast at a nearby cafe and admiring all of the old world architecture that Annabeth adored. The same routine was followed when they had landed in Athens. Despite all of their adventures, Annabeth seemed unaffected and was ready for another. They had settled in their room and Annabeth wanted to take a picture but Percy had other plans. Annabeth was trying to take a picture at the same time Percy was trying to give her a kiss. She accidentally took a picture as her hand was pressed against his face as he attempted to go in for another kiss. After looking at the outcome, the couple had decided to keep it.

Now, he held it in his hands with any trace of them getting back together shattered. Percy thought things were getting better. He believed that he was getting a second chance with Annabeth; that we was getting a second chance at a better, happier life. Apparently he was wrong. Dead wrong. That wasn't happening. The guy out there in the shark exhibit was proof of it. The guy out there confirmed his deepest fear: that Annabeth could still have any guy she wanted and it most likely was not going to be him. _Maybe I'm over-reacting,_ he thought. All the guy did was give her his number. It was her choice whether or not she threw it away or actually called it. Percy could still have a chance. _Then why did she put it in her pocket,_ the little voice in the back of his head said. She probably was more inclined to call it anyways. She was a single mother that still looked great.

She had a choice before, chose him and, for the lack of better words, it didn't work out. Annabeth was always one to learn from past experiences and mistakes so now that she has another choice, why would she choose him again? In fact, why she had chosen him in the first place, Percy didn't know. All he knew was that he was lucky as hell that it was him but he screwed that up big time.

The image distorted as his vision began to blur. His sea colored eyes filled themselves with tears that threatened to spill over his eyelids. He placed the picture frame back in its spot and positioned his head in his hands. "Why me?!" At this point, Percy had practically given up. He'd lost Annabeth and that was that. There was no redemption now. There was no chance. From now on, Percy was going to focus only on Anthony and his job. Annabeth could have whoever she wanted and it was obvious that she didn't want him. _So be it._

Percy steeled himself, stood from his swivel chair, and went into the adjacent room to change back into his regular clothes. Grabbing his keys and phone, he locked up his room and went to go back to Anthony and Annabeth. He stood at the entrance of the shark exhibit and watched as Annabeth stared off into space, deeply thinking about something. Percy didn't know what and he told himself that he shouldn't care. He straightened his back and walked in toward his son and ex. "Are you ready to go?" he asked trying his best to keep an impassive expression on his face. Annabeth gave him a curious look but Anthony seemed unaffected by it.

"No," Anthony answered but was betrayed by a yawn.

"I think you are," Percy replied. "You're tired and its starting to get late, Squirt." He lifted the boy into his arms and immediately, Anthony's arms and legs wrapped around Percy's torso and the toddler's head rested on the grown man's shoulder. Percy gave a look at Annabeth that didn't really say anything and made his way back toward the car. Once they got to the blue Benz, Percy unlocked the door and put Anthony in his car seat. Annabeth went ahead and let herself in and buckled her seat belt. Percy sat down in the driver's seat and started the car. It was nearly six but the traffic back to Brooklyn Heights was still heavy.

Percy and Annabeth sat in the car awkwardly as it advanced at five miles per hour. Anthony was softly snoring from the backseat, head slightly tilted to the left, and a small trail of drool dripped from the corner of his mouth down his chin. Annabeth knew there was tension, heck, anyone who could see them through the window would know that there was tension. Unable to help herself, Annabeth snuck a glance at Percy through the corner of her eyes. His jaw was set firmly and his attention was solely on the road ahead of him. Annabeth wondered what had gotten him so riled up at the Aquarium but decided not to press.

Percy did everything he could to not take his eyes off of the road. Actually, he did everything he could to not look at the beautiful blonde woman next to him in fear of his new resolution dissolving to dust. He clenched his jaw in order to feel as though he was a tough man whose willpower could not be broken. The life Percy had with Annabeth before was over and this was his new life. This was the life he lived now and he needed to learn how to deal with it. Percy wasn't going to try and make things better because they probably never were going to get better anyway. He made the decision on how his life would turn out three years ago and this was what he chose. He deserved this. He knew he did and Percy was going to suck it up and take it like a man.

Annabeth didn't like the tension. Not at all. She wanted to do anything and everything in order for it to go away. "Thanks for today," she said. Percy didn't say or even do anything in response. He simply sat there, focused on his driving. Annabeth bit her lip nervously. She remembered their conversation from earlier that morning and how Percy had insisted that she would enjoy herself and get to relax. For the most part, she did get to enjoy herself and her son but she wasn't so sure that she got to relax. If anything, she might have just added more stress and things to worry about to the already long list. She debated letting Percy know that she did enjoy herself just to say that he was right in hopes of him loosening up even if it was only minuscule. "I really did enjoy today," she finally stated.

"Good for you," was his reply._ How dare she._ It was now obvious to Percy that she did know for a fact that the guy from earlier had been hitting on her and now she was practically rubbing it in his face.

Percy's knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel and Annabeth knew that she had said the wrong thing. Percy was now a ticking time bomb and she did not want to set him off anymore than she already had. Annabeth felt like an idiot around Percy. All her life she was able to read and understand a person's emotions just by looking at their face but the only exception was Perseus Jackson. Annabeth had never been able to figure him out and now that they had been estranged to one another, it had gotten all the more difficult.

After what seemed like forever, Percy finally took the exit ramp and turned onto Annabeth's street. Rush hour had effectively prolonged the twenty-two minute drive to an hour and a forty-five minutes. Percy pulled over to the correct home, cut the engine, and immediately got out of the car to retrieve his sleeping son. Annabeth followed and opened the front door for Percy and led him up the stairs. Percy laid the young boy on the bed, took the clothes from Annabeth's hand, wordlessly, and changed Anthomy into something far more comfortable. He threw the dirty outfit into the hamper by the closet after checking the pockets for any items. Percy turned and was face to face with Annabeth.

The former couple stared into each others eyes, both desperately trying to read the other's thoughts and failing miserably. Finally, it was Annabeth that broke eye contact by looking down at her hands. When she looked back up, Percy was gone. She rushed to the front door in hopes of catching him before he left. By the time she made it to the patio, Percy was already halfway to his car. "Percy, wait!" she called.

Despite all of the voices in his head telling him to keep going, he stopped. Annabeth caught up to him and put a hand on his shoulder and spun him around slowly to face her. Once again, the two of them stared at each other for the longest time. "Are you OK?" Annabeth finally asked. She could feel Percy stiffen under her fingers.

"I'm fine," he said pulling himself out of her grasp.

"Are you sure? I know something happened back at the Aquarium and it has gotten you in this sour mood that I can't seem to figure out."

"Really?" he hissed. "I probably never would have guessed." He gave her a steely cold glare that would have scared anyone else but all it did was make Annabeth angrier.

"What the hell is your problem Percy?" she snapped. "I'm trying to be civil to you and all you're doing is pushing me away. Just tell me what's wrong! I want to help." Percy's green eyes bore into her, flashing dangerously as he analyzed every feature on her face.

"You don't need to worry about me, Annabeth," he said, repeating the words she had told him only several hours ago. "I'm not the boy who always needed someone to protect him anymore so you don't have to waste your time." Annabeth felt like her heart was shattering inside of her chest. She reached out to touch him but he took a step back to avoid the contact. "I knew there would be nothing between us and it was foolish of me think that there ever would be something again. I hurt you, Annabeth. And now, I'm going to take your advice and just focus on Anthony." Annabeth was speechless.

"Percy..." she tried to say but her voice wouldn't allow her anymore words.

"It's fine, Annabeth. I get it. You may be a mom but there is so much life left for you to live. Go out with your friends. I don't mind hanging back with Anthony." He focused solely on her eyes once more. "You have so many things that need your attention. I don't have to be one of them anymore." Annabeth closed her eyes to push back the tears welling up in her eyes and when she opened them once more, Percy was already getting into his car. She watched as he drove away, frozen to her spot on the sidewalk.

* * *

There you go! **_And_****_If you have a certain scene that you would like to see (I'm always looking for some whether it's fluff or a really deep, heartfelt moment or even just a little jealousy or fight) I will DEFINITELY TRY to fit it in as best as I can to the story._**

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You


	10. Chapter 10

Hey guys! Check It out! I'm almost to 100 reviews! This week was a pretty good week... My homeroom class got a hedgehog as a class pet that we named Sega and on Thursday I was on a field trip all day and when I got back, I went to watch my alma mater (middle school) play volleyball and destroy then got to play our game and destroy. Then today, I totally killed my speech presentation! So all in all, I'm in a pretty good mood so... Here new the next chapter! :)

**lol lollypops: **Haha! I had feels just writing it!

**Percyjlittlegirl (Guest) **& **Erin (Guest):** I'm on the fence about that... I may just imply it because I feel that writing a lemon might take away the sophistication that I want this story to have.

**Guest:** I enjoy writing the angst. LOL

**L6DaN97: **Thanks so much! And those feels... Yes... They get to us all... I hope you like this one too.

**hunterLEADER: **Haha! As much as I want to... I can't! I have a whole thing set with what I want to do with these two.

**Stephen Daughter of Hades:** Maybe in the future...

**NinjaKillerOfWords:** ;) You never know what may happen... I do hope that you get some answers in is chapter... It's funny how as I was writing out these responses, you reviewed and I literally snickered to myself. :)

And...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

Thalia was fed up with these two. Both Percy and Annabeth were acting like little children and it was seriously pissing her off. It was Sunday morning and she was on her way to Annabeth's house because she had gotten a wake up call from said woman saying that they needed to talk and that it was extremely important. Once they had hung up, Thalia thought she could squeeze in five more minutes but then her idiot cousin called saying that _he_ needed to talk to her. She groaned a response and told him that she would be there that afternoon. Unable to fall asleep again, Thalia dragged herself out of bed and got ready to play therapist.

After turning on to the right street and locating her destination, she pulled over to the curb in front of her best friend's home. Getting out of her black Mustang and locking it, Thalia made her way to the front door and rang the doorbell. She could hear the familiar tune ring throughout the interior and the array of footsteps moving toward the door. Thalia waited for a few seconds before the door opened revealing a harassed looking Annabeth. Her hair was up in a messy bun but there were so many strands that have escaped that it might as well have been down. Her blue Columbia University shirt was crooked on her small frame and one pant leg of her grey sweatpants were rolled up to her knee while the other covered her full leg. "What the hell happened to you?" Thalia asked.

"Percy happened," she frowned. Thalia groaned and rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"Do you have food?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go." After breakfast, Annabeth told Anthony that she and Thalia would be in her study and that he could just watch TV.

Once Annabeth led her best friend into her study, she began to clean up some of the clutter that seemed to inhabit the whole room. Thalia was amazed. Her head pivoted around the room, taking in all of the blueprints tacked to the walls and the thousands of rolls of more blueprints stacked in each corner. "So... What did my idiot cousin do this time?"

"Ugh... What didn't he do?" Annabeth walked over to the couch she had positioned along the wall that wasn't completely covered by the blue sheets and took a seat. "I'm sorry... I just... He recently found out that Anthony is his son and has been insistent in becoming a father and... I don't know... He's been really weird." Thalia's eyes warmed as her confident demeanor softened. She took a seat by Annabeth on the soft, black couch and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey... Calm down, take a breath, and tell me everything," Thalia placated. Annabeth took a deep breath and told her everything. She recounted every event from the last week up until Saturday, the week before.

"And last Saturday," she continued, "he showed up to the house because he promised Anthony that they would go to Coney Island and he was in a pretty good mood. He helped me finish preparing breakfast and offered to clean up after we had eaten so that I could get ready to go but when I told him that I wasn't going, he came up close and started speaking in this deeper voice while he massaged my shoulders. I mean, I don't get it. He tells me that all he wants is to be with Anthony and then he does all of that." Annabeth paused to gather her thoughts once more before finishing. "Anyways... We go to Coney Island and everything is fine. Everyone is having a good time until Percy gets a call. It wasn't anything serious," she ensured seeing the look on Thalia's face. "It was just an update from his job at the Aquarium and when he told Anthony, we just _had_ to go. While we were there, I did kind of snap at him for worrying about me too much and his mood just kind of dropped. Then, as we went out to the exhibits and habitats, Percy was pretty Ok. Then, some guy came up and gave me his number and Percy was just plain sour after that and for the rest of the week but he was still really great with Anthony and acted like nothing was wrong." Annabeth put her head in her hands. "I just... I don't know what to think," she sighed, looking at Thalia for answers.

Unlike her best friend, Thalia knew exactly what to think. It was blatantly obvious that Percy still had feelings for Annabeth even though his original intentions were not to get back together with her. Thalia debated with herself on whether she should just tell Annabeth the truth straight or just let it play out. It would make things a whole lot easier for everyone for sure if she just told her.

Thalia wondered why Annabeth hadn't caught on to Percy's feelings yet especially because she was the only one who could ever figure out that Kelp Head. Making up her mind, Thalia said, "Well, Percy always was a strange one. Sorry but I can't help you there. You're gonna have to figure it out all on your own." Then a thought struck Thalia. "What did you do to the guy's number?"

"What?" Annabeth cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"The guy from the Aquarium," Thalia specified. "What did you do to his phone number?"

"I don't know... Um... I think I still have it somewhere in one of my pockets," Annabeth said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Well, are you gonna call it?" Thalia sat up a little straighter as if to look interested but really, she could care less about the dude.

"I'm not sure..." Annabeth bit her bottom lip.

"What do you mean you're not sure?"

"I mean, I haven't really dated since Percy and that was because Anthony was in the picture and I couldn't really leave him alone," Annabeth explained. "And, let's face it Thalia, no guy really wants a single mom as their first choice for a girlfriend, especially one that has been divorced."

"Well he obviously chose you."

"That's because he doesn't know that I'm a mom! Andy was watching the sharks while I was kind of off by myself," Annabeth argued.

"Well, you won't know if you don't try." Thalia really didn't want Annabeth to go for this guy, whoever he is, but it's the only way for Annabeth to dig herself out of the deep hole she's put herself in and for Percy to realize that he's got to get a move on if he really, truly wants Annabeth back.

The two women continued to argue about it until Thalia finally convinced Annabeth to take a chance and call the guy. Annabeth dug through all of her dirty jeans until she finally found the crumpled piece of scratch paper. "Put it on speaker," Thalia said as the Annabeth tapped the screen, dialing the number.

Annabeth rolled her eyes but obliged. The caller tone rang four times before a masculine voice answered. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mark?" Annabeth was nervous. She had never done this kind of thing before.

"Speaking," he replied. Annabeth didn't know what to say and was utterly lost until Thalia gave her a good nudge on the shoulder.

"Uh... It's Annabeth."

"Who?" Thalia faced palmed then motioned for her hopeless friend to elaborate.

"The, uh, girl from the Aquarium. You know, last weekend?"

"Uh... OH!" Mark laughed warmly. "Sorry, it's just, you never gave me your name so I was kind of confused."

"Uh... Yeah..."

"Yeah... I was starting to think that you weren't gonna call."

"Heh... Yeah... Sorry about that..." Thalia snickered because Annabeth probably wouldn't have called if it weren't for her. Annabeth smacked her arm hard to get her to shut up.

"So... Anyways, I wanna get to know you better," he said, changing the subject. "Do you think we could go out sometime?"

Annabeth bit her lip but Thalia was going crazy with the hand signals and gestures to get her to say yes. "Sure," she finally said.

"Cool! How about Friday night at seven?"

"Sounds good."

"Alright, see you then." Mark hung up the phone after that, ending the call.

Thalia punched the air and Annabeth punched her best friend. "Ow!" she complained. "What was that for?"

"For getting me to do that!"

"Oh calm down," Thalia said waving her off.

"You have to babysit when I go out with him on Friday," Annabeth said trying to get back at her ex's cousin.

"Oh no I don't, Percy will be here right?"

"What?! Are you _crazy?! _Percy can't watch Anthony while I'm on a date!"

"Why not? You did say that he was solely focused on Anthony right? So... what's another couple of hours gonna do to him? And, why should he care about what you do?" Annabeth huffed a response.

"I hate it when you're right," the grey-eyed blonde muttered.

"I always am," Thalia joked while gathering her things. "Now, I have to go."

"Go where?"

"Just places..." Thalia trailed off leaving Annabeth to interpret it anyway she liked because she really didn't want to tell her that she was headed off to Percy's now.

Annabeth, thinking her best friend was referring to her fiancé, simply smiled and nodded. "Well thanks for coming. I just really needed someone to talk to."

"Anytime Annie."

"I've told you countless times not to call me that."

"And _I've_ told _you_ countless times that I don't care." Annabeth rolled her eyes and led the way back down to the living room where Anthony seemed to have fallen asleep watching the Disney Channel. Thalia went up to the young boy and kissed his temple before meeting Annabeth at the front door. "Bye. And good luck with your date."

"Shut up Thalia." Thalia laughed and hopped into her car. With one final wave, Thalia sped down the street, heading back to Manhattan to go deal with her cousin.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

At around one in the afternoon, Thalia pulled into the parking lot for her cousin's building. She located his blue Benz and parked in the vacant space right next to it. Once she had secured her car, Thalia made her way up to his apartment. She stepped into the elevator and pressed the number three causing the button to light up, the doors to close, and the whole elevator to shift upwards as it made its way up each story, searching for the correct floor. Finally, the bell dinged and the doors opened allowing Thalia to step off and make her way to Percy's unit. She walked up to the door and knocked, loudly, three times and waited. She listened to the shuffles from the inside become louder as Percy approached the door. Percy opened the door looking no better than Annabeth had earlier that morning. His hair was tousled and pointing in every direction. Thalia knew that it was usually like that on a regular basis but the way it was in front of her at the moment was a different kind of messy that did _not_ work at all. His pajama pants hung loosely from his hips and his T-shirt was all wrinkly on his torso. "Hey cousin," He greeted.

"Jackass," Thalia smiled., referencing the last time they had talked.

"Still on that huh?"

"Oh yeah."

"Great... Come in." Thalia followed him in and took a seat on his couch.

"So... What is it that you want?" Thalia asked, getting straight to the point.

"I need help."

"Obviously," she muttered under her breath. Sadly, it didn't go unnoticed by her younger cousin as he shot her a look. "Sorry," she said, not truly meaning it. "So... Does your problem, whatever it may be, happen to do with a certain blonde haired, grey eyed, best friend of mine who also happens to be your ex wife and the mother of your son?" Thalia asked as she gave her green eyed cousin a smug look.

"Yes," Percy admitted hanging his head in shame.

"Oh, look up would ya?" Percy followed Thalia's orders and looked up into her electric blue orbs. Thalia noticed how much her cousin had seemed to age as his physique was not as confident as it usually was. It occurred to Thalia that he must truly be mentally and emotionally exhausted. He practically had just about given up. Immediately, Thalia softened her tough attitude and pulled her younger cousin into a hug (something she would deny later on). "What's wrong?"

"It's just... I found out that I have a son two weeks ago and as I spend everyday with him and Annabeth, I found myself falling. I tend to berate myself every chance I get because I know that they are a family and although I have a biological connection to them, I'm still just an outsider." Percy hung his head down as if he were embarrassed of the next thing that came out of his mouth. When he looked back up he continued, "And every time I see Annabeth, I find myself falling for her again but I know that it would never happen because why would she choose the same guy that betrayed her and left her again?" Closing his eyes, Percy suppressed all of the emotions that were building up in the pit of his stomach. Once he was sure he was fine, Percy opened his eyes once more and continued. "Now, I bet she's dating that guy from the Aquarium and once he's in, I'll be out. They won't need me anymore because they would have a happier life without all of these complications."

"Well... I talked to Annabeth recently about what happened and I won't tell you what she said but... Don't you think you may have overreacted to the situation?"

"I probably did," he confessed. "But, I mean, how would you feel? I already felt terrible and mad at myself for what I did to her and I _love_ her. I guess that despite the fact that I knew that we would never get back together, I still had a sliver of hope that it could happen. Seeing her and Mr. Preppy Prick together just through me over the edge." Percy seemed to have confused himself by the way his eyebrows furrowed. He paused then continued saying, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I was more mad at myself that day than at Annabeth." There was a moment of silence as Thalia took in this newfound information.

After connecting all of the dots and putting the story together completely, Thalia really felt bad for her younger cousin. "Do you really love Annabeth still?" she asked him after a moment of silence. Percy stared at her, wondering what was going on in her mind.

"Yes," he replied without hesitation.

"Then I say who cares if she dating someone or not. They're not _married._ You definitely still have a chance and because of the fact that you are her son's father. You have a better advantage because the way to a single mom's heart is through their kid. You love their kid and they love you back, you're in." Thalia lifted Percy's head with her hands once more because it had once again drifted so that he gazed at the floor once more. She made him look into her eyes before she went on. "I want no more of this self-pity thing you've got going on because it just doesn't work." Thalia stood up. "You say that you care about her and that you love her but you also say that you have pretty much given up on any chance of you two getting back together. Don't tell me you're trying to do the whole 'if you love her, set her free' shit because that is the corniest, drama-queeny-ish bunch of crap that I've ever heard."

Percy stayed in his seat when he asked, "So what do I do?"

"Simple," Thalia answered. "You fight and you never give in no matter how bad it gets. Got it?"

Percy nodded, showing that he understood. Thalia made her way to the front door with Percy at her heels. "Now, It's been real fun playing therapist but I do have a fiancé coming to pick me up in four hours for dinner."

"Thanks again for coming Thalia."

"Anytime Kelp Head." With that, Thalia sauntered down the hallway, back out to her car, and began the drive back to her apartment.

* * *

And there's chapter 10 for you! :) I hope you liked that breath of fresh air with having Thalia's point of view. I know some people wanted her back and it was really easy for me to write with her since I relate to her so much.

Dont forget to Review, Favorite and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	11. Chapter 11

HEY GUYS! So... I know it's been a while and I'm sure you guys were all on the House of Hades fanboat like me... but the good news is that I am here, I am posting and I ALSO have Chapter 12 done too! You have no idea how bad I've been fangirling for the past week. My friends all think that I've gone crazy. I won't spoil anything for you guys because I want you to read the book for yourself! ;) Anyways, I know I always thank you for your continual support and I will continue to thank you! I now have over 100 reviews and that is SO COOL! I'm so glad that you guys actually like it!

**Hunter of Artemis 140:** Thanks! I can't wait to write more!

**WOW (Guest):** Yes! He's babysitting!

**Alicia Daughter of Aphrodite: **Yeah... I love Thalia! She might make another appearance soon... it all depends on where my mind is when I'm writing.

**hunterLEADER: ** Maybee!

**lol lollypops: **Thanks! and I know... That's why it took a while because I was in that trance too... LOL!

**Guest: **HAHA! It's not bad at all!

And as always...

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

The week seemed to have dragged on once again for Percy as he continued to spend everyday at Annabeth's house. It wasn't that he minded, in fact, he enjoyed going there everyday to spend time with his son and getting to see Annabeth everyday wasn't so bad either. No, the only thing Percy had a problem with was the obvious tension that seemed to thrive between him and his ex wife. The two of them had kept their interactions to a minimum, only addressing each other in greeting and in farewell or when the topic pertained to Anthony. Now, it was Friday morning and, as usual, Percy was on his way to Annabeth's home to watch his son once more. Today, however, felt different for Percy. He had this underlying feeling deep in his gut that something was going to happen. He didn't know what it was or why, he just knew. From the moment he woke up, his stomach had been twisted into knots. For a moment, Percy thought about calling Annabeth and telling her that he couldn't make it today but eventually decided against it. He pulled over into his usual spot on the curb and went into the home. After three weeks of Percy constantly having to use the spare key, Annabeth finally agreed to just let him have it because on multiple occasions, he would take Anthony out and the two would go on an "adventure" together.

Percy made himself known to the mother and son that lived in the house by calling out, "I'm here!" He received a blur of thick, black hair tackling him into a hug as a response. Percy was thankful that he was much larger than the young boy so it didn't hurt as much and he was able to support the sudden weight. "Hey Squirt," he laughed.

"Hi Percy!" Anthony smiled widely at his friend. "We gon' go swimming today right?" Percy laughed again.

"Yeah, I have my clothes in my car so whenever your ready, we can go."

"YAY!" The little boy jumped off of his father and ran into the kitchen. Percy laughed once again and followed the smell of bacon toward the room that Anthony had disappeared to. He walked through the threshold and spotted Annabeth still in her pajamas and her hair in a hasty ponytail standing in front of the stove. Percy smirked and leaned against the doorway.

"Are you off today?" he finally asked. She spun on her heels to face him, eyes wide.

"Uhh... no," she replied sheepishly. Percy's eyebrow shot up in question. "I overslept and Anthony woke me up saying he was hungry so..." Percy nodded slowly before pushing himself off of the wall.

"Well, why don't you go get ready while I finish up here?" he proposed. Now, it was Annabeth's turn to raise an eyebrow. She was sure that despite the tension that seemed to linger between the two of them, Percy would have cracked even the smallest joke about her straying from her rigid routine but he simply offered his assistance without any other comment. She nodded nonetheless, passed him the spatula and made her way up to her room to change into her work clothes. Percy chuckled and finished cooking breakfast.

By the time Percy set the table and sat down, Annabeth walked into the room clad in her usual pencil skirt, blouse, and matching blazer. Her hair was finally tamed into a professional bun without a strand loose from its bonds. She sat across from Percy who was fixated, once again, by her beauty. "Can I help you?" she asked, pulling Percy out of his thoughts.

"Wha..?" was his reply. Annabeth bit back a laugh as Percy's face took on a confused expression.

"Let's just say Grace." The trio said their Grace and began to eat. Eventually, Annabeth scooted her chair back and announced that she was leaving for work. She planted a kiss on top of Anthony's head and nodded to Percy before exiting the house and heading off to the architectural firm she called work.

Percy told Anthony that he could go watch some TV while he cleaned up. The little boy agreed and went into the living room to turn on his favorite show. Percy rose from his seat and gathered all of the dirty dishes. He sat them in the sink and rinsed them. While he let them soak, Percy went ahead and began to transfer and cover the left overs and stuck them in the refrigerator. Once all the leftovers were put away, Percy went back to the sink to wash the previously wet dishes. He scrubbed every utensil and plate and when he deemed them clean enough, he ran them through the water and placed them on the drying rack. Finally, he went back to the breakfast table and wiped it down with the table cleaner and a rag. Percy walked into the living room where Anthony was watching and collapsed on the couch, exhausted.

Anthony, seeing Percy with his eyes closed, crawled over and asked, "Percy, are you sleeping?"

Percy cracked an eye open to look at the young boy. "No."

"Oh... Are we gonna go swim now?"

"Maybe in a little bit, Squirt. I'm a bit tired right now." The child nodded in understanding and snuggled into Percy's side so that he could be more comfortable while watching his cartoons. Eventually the room was filled with soft snores along with the sounds of the TV as Percy drifted off to sleep.

By the time he woke up, it was about twelve noon and Anthony was still wide awake, watching his shows. "Hey, Kiddo," he greeted.

"You drool when your sleep," the small boy giggled. Percy instinctively wiped the corners of his mouth and sat up a bi straighter.

"You do too," he argued.

"I know." Percy laughed.

"Are you hungry?" he asked once he was calm.

"Yeah," Anthony nodded.

Percy got up and walked into the kitchen with Anthony on his heels. He pulled a skillet out from on of the cabinets, some bread from the pantry, and cheese and butter from the refrigerator. "You like grilled cheese?" The boy nodded his head.

"When are we gon' go swimming?" he asked when Percy began to toast the buttered bread on the skillet.

"How about this, after we eat, we'll go change into our swimming trunks and then I'll drive us to the pool."

"OK!"

Percy prepared their food and while Anthony was eating, went out to his car to get his duffle bag from the trunk. He returned to the kitchen with his bag slung over his shoulder and asked Anthony if he was good to go. The young child took one final bite of his sandwich and nodded. Percy picked up the plate and washed it quickly before heading up the stairs with his son. The two of them dug through the dresser before they pulled out the Spongebob swimming trunks. Percy helped his son into them and found him a shirt to wear when he wasn't in the water. "Go find a towel while I go and change," Percy told the young boy.

"OK!" The boy went to the closet down the hall to grab a suitable towel while Percy went into the guest bathroom to change. On his way there he noticed that the master bedroom door was slightly cracked open and he had half a mind to go in and just take a look. He took glance at Anthony and saw him still trying to reach his towel from a shelf and figured that he had time. He stuck his head through the crack and pivoted his head from side to side. Everything seemed to look the same to him minus the pictures that he had taken when he left. Percy decided that he was done snooping. He didn't want to accidentally stumble upon something he didn't want to see. He removed his head from the crack and went into the guest bathroom.

Once Percy was changed and ready to go, he called Anthony from the foyer. The child raced down the stairs with his towel hanging round his neck and goggles wrapped around his forehead. "Ready?"

"YEAH!"

The two of them left the house and got into Percy's car. After Percy secured both of them, he started his Benz and drove them down to the neighborhood pool where he found a good parking spot under the shade of a giant oak. He grabbed his duffel and unbuckled his son from the car seat. Locking his door, Percy grabbed Anthony's hand and the two of them walked through the gate.

The pool wasn't extremely crowded but there were quite a few people enjoying the beautiful day. Percy found a table under an umbrella and placed all of their stuff on one of the chairs. He pulled out the Banana Boat sunscreen and turned to Anthony. He squatted down next to him and pulled off the young boy's shirt. "You have to put on the sunblock or you're gonna get burned and your mom is gonna be at me." Anthony giggled at Percy but spread his arms out so that Percy could apply the cream. Once he was finished, Percy stood up and began to apply some to his own skin. Finally, both boys were ready to jump into the cool water and they both did just that.

The two were in the water for a couple of hours playing with a bunch of new friends that they had made. Neither of them wanted to get out but at around a quarter to four, Percy declared that it was time to go home. The pair went back to their table where Percy handed a towel to Anthony and assisted in drying the younger boy off. Once his child was fully clothed and ready, Percy then began to dry himself off. After he had pulled his shirt over his head and stuck his arms through their corresponding holes, a brunette about his age came up to him. "Hi," she greeted.

Percy looked at her and smiled. "Hey." He waited for her to say something but when she didn't continue, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Oh, I just wanted to say that you and your son are absolutely adorable."

"Thanks?" Percy's head slowly nodded at the awkward confrontation. "Well, we have to go now so..."

"Wait. Before you go, if there isn't a mom in the picture..." The mystery lady slipped a folded sheet into one of his hands, winked, then walked away making sure to sway her hips. Percy scoffed in disgust, grabbed Anthony's hand and led him back out through the gate. When he was sure that they were out of sight he unfolded the paper to confirm that the woman had indeed given him her phone number. He shook his head at the ten-digit number written in a curly print before he crumpled it up and threw it in a nearby trash can. There was only one girl for him and she was the mother of his son.

Percy buckled his seatbelt after securing Anthony in his car seat and started the car. As they drove through the street back to the house Anthony spoke up from the backseat. "Percy, why did that lady call you my daddy?" The older man's eyes nearly fell out of his head in his shock.

"Uhh... She probably saw how much fun we were having together," Percy tried to explain without giving anything out. Anthony's eyebrows furrowed as he processed this. As Percy turned the corner, Anthony spoke once more.

"Can you be my daddy?" he asked. At this, Percy nearly slammed on the brakes but was barely able to refrain from it. Percy wasn't sure how he was supposed to answer so he decided to play it as safe as he could.

"I don't know... If you want me to be and it's OK with your mom, then I guess it's fine." Anthony nodded his head in understanding.

Percy thought that it was about time they told Anthony but with all of the drama going on between him and Annabeth, there never seemed to be the right occasion. Finally, Percy pulled his car over and shifted the gear to park. He stepped out, grabbing his duffel, and helped Anthony down. Once they were inside, Percy prepared a quick snack for the both of them before he sent Anthony upstairs for a bath. The father and son made their way up the stairs and as they passed the guest bathroom, Percy dropped his bag outside of the door. He gave Anthony a quick bath and surprisingly did not have as hard of a time as he usually did. Percy wondered why that was and was answered by a yawn from the small boy as he dressed him into his Finding Nemo pajamas. Grabbing the towel, Percy dried off the boy's hair and helped him get settled for a nap on his bed. As soon as his son was softly snoring, Percy made his way into the guest bathroom for his own shower.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Annabeth was exhausted. She had to see a total of six clients all day and barely had enough time for a lunch break. Now, it was five o'clock. She was home and had to prepare for her date with Mark. She had been dreading this day all week as she did not want to go on the date in the first place. In her tiredness, Annabeth didn't notice that Percy's car was parked in his usual spot and thought that the two boys were still at the pool. Once she entered her home, she took off her heels and stripped down to the tank top she had on under her blouse and removed her skirt, revealing short, volleyball spandex. Leaving her shoes in the corner by the door and her bag on the counter, Annabeth carried her work clothes in one hand and made her way up the staircase and to her room so that she could take a nice long shower before she had to go on her date. She closed her eyes in an attempt to alleviate the growing pain in the back of her head and was therefore unaware of the guest bathroom opening to reveal a wet Percy wrapped only in a towel who was on his way to grab a bottle of lotion from Annabeth's bathroom since he had forgotten his at his apartment. Both unaware of the other's presence, the two collided and fell over with Annabeth on top of Percy. The former couple groaned and opened their eyes to see what they had run into. They were both stunned to be looking into each other's eyes. Green to grey. Annabeth was the first to respond as her face began to heat up slightly, however she made no move to get up. "Uhh..." was the only thing her brain could process. Percy stilled hadn't fully registered the current situation as his hands were still rested on his ex's waist as support and he kept his face mere inches from hers. "Sorry," Annabeth finally said. "I didn't know you guys were back already. I must've not seen your car." Percy still hadn't moved from his position and just stared at the grey eyed beauty on top of him. Annabeth, who was increasingly growing uncomfortable, moved to get up but Percy's hands held her in place. She cleared her throat. "Percy," she said. The man under her seemed to finally break out of his stupor, blinking rapidly multiple times.

"Uhh...?" was his response. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Can you let me up?" she asked slowly as if he were a child.

"Oh! Right..." Percy said turning crimson. He released her waist and allowed her to get off and stand. Once she was on her feet, Annabeth helped Percy up and it was then that she realized his outfit, or lack thereof.

"Percy?" she asked, trying her hardest not to focus on his bare chest.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you in only a towel?" She averted her gaze to look at anything else, feeling her face grow redder by the second.

"Uhh... I needed lotion and I was going to go grab some from your bathroom?"

"Is that so? Well then, let me just grab some for you." Annabeth said awkwardly before she disappeared into her room before coming back with a bottle of Nivea. "Just leave it outside of my door when you're done," she instructed, still not looking at him, before closing said door behind her. Annabeth leaned her back against the door and tried her hardest to calm her racing heart. She had not expected that _at all_. She refused to look at her ex's bare chest in fear that she might never look away. It had been three years since she had seen him like that and it wasn't like that even then. No, Percy Jackson was much more sculpted than he was before. His biceps, abs, and chest were much more defined but not huge. That was pretty much the definition of "perfect" for her and the fact that he only had a towel on just added to that. Annabeth knew that she would never be able to un-see that but wasn't like she had a problem with that. In fact, she found that she was oddly OK with it.

Eventually, Annabeth remembered that she had a date to get ready for and shook herself out of her trance. She took a shower and found a nice, plain white sundress and put on a faded, dark blue jean jacket over it. Annabeth stood in front of her vanity mirror and debated on her hair, jewelry and make up. She decided to leave her hair down and avoid make up at all costs. She did, however, put on a simple owl necklace to match her silver owl earrings. Slipping on her studded gladiator sandals, Annabeth made her way downstairs. It was nearly seven so Mark would be arriving anytime soon.

Percy was sitting on the living room couch watching ESPN but turned his head to acknowledge who ever was entering the room. He spotted Annabeth but had to do a triple take. Percy rose slowly from his seat on the couch and simply stared. This was the second time today that his ex had made him breathless to the point where he couldn't formulate any words. Annabeth stood in front of him awkwardly, playing with her fingers. "How does it look?" she asked.

"You look... beautiful, Annabeth." Percy couldn't help it as he walked up to her and stood close. The two of them stared into the others eyes, faces inches from each other for the second time that day. Percy lifted a hand, brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and tucked it behind her ear. His motions were so tender and light that it seemed as though he was afraid that she would break right in front of him. He kept his hand on her neck and leaned in slightly so that their foreheads touched and their noses were not too far behind. Annabeth closed her eyes as she got caught in yet another trance. Percy was mere millimeters away from closing the distance between their lips when the door bell rang. The two of them jumped back making sure to stand a good three feet away from the other. Percy was confused. _Who could be at Annabeth's house at this time?_ "Who's that?" He asked.

"That's... Uhh... Mark..." Annabeth bit her lip nervously. Percy raised an eyebrow. "He's... my date... for tonight..."

Percy could feel his blood boiling. _She actually called Aquarium Guy?_ He should have known. Thalia was right. Percy needed to pick up his game if he still wanted a shot with Annabeth. He tried his best to keep his anger to a minimum but was failing badly. "Go." He said hotly. He could feel his temper rising. Annabeth was so taken aback by his curt comment that she didn't move from her spot. "I said, 'Go.'" Percy was slowly losing it and if Annabeth didn't leave soon, he was going to explode. "Go on your date, Annabeth. I'll stay with Anthony. He's already asleep anyways."

The two of them stood there facing each other before the doorbell rang once more, reminding them of Mark's arrival. "I-I'll be back soon," Annabeth managed to stumble out before turning and leaving. Percy watched from his place in the living room as Annabeth greeted Aquarium Guy and leave the house.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Mark was a gentleman. After picking Annabeth up from her home, he opened the door to his silver 2013 Toyota Camry Le for her before getting in himself. He drove them to a nice restaurant for dinner. It wasn't anything too fancy but it wasn't totally trash either. The atmosphere of the place was very light and airy; it was suitable for a first date. As nice as it was, however, Annabeth didn't even bother learning the name of the place. In fact, most of the ride there, Annabeth's mind seemed to always drift back to the black haired, green eyed man who was waiting at her house. Whether Mark had ever picked up on this, Annabeth had no way of knowing as he had never made any indication of the sort.

The two were seated by the dance floor out on the patio and on the further side of the live band. They ordered their food and drinks and simply waited for their meal. Mark seemed comfortable enough but Annabeth was close to dying of boredom because her ADHD had begun to kick in.

"So..." Mark began. "Is this place alright with you?"

"Yeah..." Mark nodded awkwardly. There was a brief moment of silence between the two.

"So, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm the head of the architectural branch at this company that practically had their foot in every industry."

"Really? Which one?"

"Olympus & Associates."

"That's cool! I'm a contractor for Vulcan Construction."

"Really? I believe the supervisor for the constructional branch just signed a contract with them."

"Yeah, I heard about that too. That's so cool! We might be working with each other then." From that point on, Annabeth and Mark really hit it off, finding out that they both had a lot of things in common. Annabeth even told him about Anthony and Mark seemed to be totally OK with it. Annabeth didn't, however, tell him about her situation with Percy. This was mostly because he would probably have a lot of questions about their relationship and what they were to each other and Annabeth herself didn't know what to think about it to this day. Towards the end of their dinner, Mark had somehow convinced Annabeth to go out onto the dance floor with him. The two of them slow danced to a sultry version of Britney Spears's "Toxic" that Annabeth found to be decent enough and actually liked. Once Mark paid the bill, much to Annabeth's displeasure, the two of them decided that a nice long, scenic walk around the block to their car would be fine. On their stroll, Annabeth and Mark played a game of twenty questions that ended with them both laughing like maniacs. It was nearly eleven o'clock by the time Mark pulled over in front of Annabeth's home. He turned the car off, got out, ran to Annabeth's door, and opened it. Annabeth rolled her eyes playfully at the gesture and led him up the steps to her front door. She turned to face him, still smiling.

"Well, this is me," she said. Mark nodded. "I'm glad I called. I really did have fun tonight."

"I'm glad you called too," he agreed. "We should do this again some other time."

"Definitely."

"And listen, I know how little boys can get so if you're ever in the need for a babysitter, just give me a call."

Annabeth thought about that for a little bit. "I'll think about it. Andy's not the most outgoing kid in the world."

"That's fine."

"Well, I better get inside now."

"Goodnight, Annabeth."

"Goodnight." What Mark did next surprised Annabeth. His lips pecked her cheek so quickly that by the time she registered the action, he was already opening the door to his car. The blonde haired woman watched as he drove away before she opened her door to let herself in.

She heard the television still playing in the living room and found Percy and Anthony both cuddled up on the couch. Anthony must have gotten up at some point while she was gone and made his way down to Percy where the two had eventually fallen asleep together. Unable to help herself, Annabeth pulled out her phone and took multiple pictures of them both. She made sure to capture the drool hanging from the corners of both of their mouths. Satisfied with the photos, Annabeth lifted Anthony off of Percy and brought him upstairs, back to his room. Once her son was tucked into his bed, Annabeth kissed his forehead before she made her way back downstairs to get Percy a blanket. She was surprised to see that he had woken up and was fully aware of his surroundings. "How was it?" he asked, looking directly into her eyes.

"It was nice," she said summarily.*

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed your _date_." Annabeth could sense the hostility in Percy's voice and was not very fond of it.

"OK," she said crossing her arms over her chest. "What is your problem? You seem very intent on giving the guy overt* animadversions* when you don't even know him!"

"Stop," Percy said sternly. "First of all, how can I understand anything you say when you start using those big words that nobody knows the meaning of?!"

"Get a dictionary and look it up-"

"Second," he yelled trying to talk over her voice. "I do know him. He's the kind of guy that will go after any girl he finds that's cute and once he gets tired of them or they hit a rough patch he turns around running."

"He is _nothing_ like that."

"You wouldn't know because he's doing it to _you,_ Annabeth!"

"Oh, please, if anyone is like that, it's _you,_ Percy. You walked out on us remember?"

"Well if I remember correctly, you didn't exactly fight for us either." At this point, Percy was standing and slowly stepping closer to Annabeth who remained planted in her spot.

"Do _not_ turn this around on me, Percy. We both know very well why I did what I did. I know your trying to change the subject and it's not going to work."

"Well then, if you want to talk about him, let's talk all about Mr. Preppy Prick."

"Don't call him that. He has a name it's Mark."

"Like I give a fuck about what his name is. My point, Annabeth, is that he probably could truly care less about you or Anthony."

"As if you do."

"I _do_ care about you two." Percy was about two strides from Annabeth now.

"Oh really? I can't tell because your (A) yelling at me at nearly midnight and (B) probably in the process of waking up Anthony."

"That's only because you either can't or refuse to see that that Prick is not the right guy for you nor the right man to serve as a role model for Anthony!"

"Really? Well if he isn't, then who is?"

Instead of answering her, Percy closed the distance between the two of them, crashing his lips onto hers.

* * *

*Summarily: briefly, short, concise  
*overt: open; without any secrecy  
*animadversion: a comment of harsh criticism or disapproval

And there are some more of my vocab words that I managed to stick in! I'm getting pretty good at this... LOL and sorry for the cliffhanger... but at least you got your PERCABETH! I know that you guys have been wanting it for a while...Also because chapter 12 is done and this is a cliffhanger, last time I did 15 so this time, I'm gonna go for 25 reviews? and I will post ASAP! Your review can also be what you thought about the House of Hades because I want to know y'all's thoughts! Ask me questions, make predictions, you never know, you might be the source of my inspiration! :D I'm always looking for that. You can even give me scenes that you want to see like another fight, or simple fluff, etc... (Keep them as PG as possible though) Also, any one-shot ideas that ou would want me to write is fine too! Send those to me through PMs though...

so... Don't forget to Review, Favorite and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	12. Chapter 12

MAN y'all are _quick!_I woke up and BOOM! 27 Reviews. Well, like I said, here is Chapter 12! I'm glad that you guys like my story and I apologize for that cliffhanger... :P Anyways... I hope you guys enjoy this chapter too... ;)

**Joshu (Guest):** Haha! I think I have another way that I want to go with it though... ;) And I actually rushed to Walmart... :P I asked my volleyball coach to end practice early just so I could go... I'm one of the Captains. All of my girls were laughing at me you have no idea...

**Fluffgirl (Guest): **NEVER! I'm the kind of person that ends what they begin so I wouldn't abandon this... If ever I lose inspiration (Which I hope is never) then I would turn to you guys! I know that you guys come up with crazy ideas on how the story will progress for stories you read. If you guys give me suggestions on scenes you want to see, I just might add it and the more suggestions I get, the more inspirations I get.

**lol lollypops: **I'M SORRY! Actually, no, not really. :P

**Fun (Guest): **HAHA! I love when that happens to me! and I'm not a sadist... If anyone is a sadist, then it's Uncle Rick...

**pinkiepie0706: **I'm glad I caught you off guard! LOL! I'm all about the plot twists...

**hina (Guest):** Welcome! I'm glad you like my story! And thank you. :)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

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The kiss was urgent and slightly rushed in the way that Percy was trying to release all of his pent up feelings for Annabeth but it was still tender, passionate, and slow as if Percy didn't want it to end as well as not hurt her. It took Annabeth a few seconds to register what was happening but once she realized what was going on, she responded with fervor, kissing him back with the same urgency and passion that he was giving her.

Something clicked in Annabeth's mind. _You shouldn't be doing this,_ the little voice at the back of her head scolded. _He's hurt you before. Who's to say he won't hurt you again._ Annabeth yanked herself away from Percy, her hand to her mouth. She shook her head slowly as the battle in her head raged on. On one side, she wanted, so badly, to forgive Percy and let him back in. On the other side, however, she wanted nothing more than to never trust him again. She didn't know what she should do. Annabeth stared at the man in front of her and took note of how he watched her cautiously yet curiously. It was as though he were waiting to see what she would do next but at the same time was scared of the exact same thing. "I..." Annabeth couldn't formulate a single thought to complete her sentence. The two stood in silence as Annabeth searched frantically for her next move. "I think we need a break," she finally said.

"A... break..." Percy was beyond confused. "We're not even... dating?"

"I know," Annabeth said turning a nice pink at her slip up. "I meant that we should take a break in the way that you won't need to take care of Anthony for a while. I just really need to get my head screwed on straight."

Percy furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to decode what she was trying to say. When he understood her message, he stood up straighter and nodded shortly. "If that's what you want." With that, Percy left without another word.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

It had been three weeks since Annabeth saw Percy. Within those three weeks, Mark had volunteered to watch Anthony while she was at work and he was there everyday. She noticed that Anthony's mood had dropped when he found out that Percy wasn't the one that would be with him five days out of the week. In fact, it wasn't until the second week that he actually started having conversations with him albeit they were rather short. By this point, Annabeth and Mark had also gone on a total of five dates as well. She really enjoyed his company and found that she thought about Percy a lot less. _Percy._ That man was still such a mystery to her. There he was, telling her that he was the right one for her and when she told him to take a break, he left without any sort of protest. Annabeth was getting really tired of all of his mixed signals that she truly wanted to call it quits. The only problem was that she didn't think she could do it. Especially not when Anthony's feelings were involved. Percy had become embedded in all of Anthony's thoughts just like he had become embedded in Annabeth's thoughts. Whenever Annabeth was around to watch Mark and Anthony interact with each other, she noticed that Mark would always pull up a topic about either football, basketball, or baseball; Anthony goes to swimming and then talks about all of the trips to the swimming pool he and Percy took. On several occasions, Mark asked Annabeth who Percy was and on several occasions, Annabeth effectively evaded the topic.

It was exactly three weeks after the whole incident with Percy. Friday, October 27, 2023. That meant that Anthony's birthday was tomorrow. Annabeth took the day off so that she could take care of any last minute preparations. Mark was coming over at around noon to see if there was anything he could help with. Annabeth pulled out her mini iPad, opened her notes, and clicked on the title that said "Andy's B-day Checklist." She went through each bullet that she made and put a hyphen next to all of the items that she already took care of. By the end of her first run through, she saw that she only had six things left to take care of. She went through and got everything out of the way. On her third run through with the list, she only had two things left: Cake and entertainment. She handled the entertainment easily and ordered a cake from one of the nearby bakeries. They told her that it would be ready by three o'clock tomorrow but Annabeth would be too busy welcoming the incoming guests. Without another choice, as she had already enlisted Thalia to pick up the food, Nico to pick up some ice, and Mark to bring in some sodas, Annabeth pulled out her phone and scrolled through her conact list until she saw the number she was looking for. _Percy Jackson._ She clicked "call" and the phone began to dial itself.

"Hello?"

"Percy?" Annabeth asked apprehensively as she wasn't sure if he was angry at her or not.

"Yeah... Annabeth?" He took a short pause before continuing. "Did you need something?"

"Well, Anthony's birthday is tomorrow and I need someone to pick up the cake. I was wondering if you could do it for me. It should be ready by three tomorrow."

Percy was silent on the other line. "Does that mean I'm invited or am I just dropping off the cake?"

Annabeth bit her lip. She didn't want her request to come off that way. "Of course you're invited. Anthony would throw a fit if you weren't there."

"And what about you?" he asked simply.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she answered not trusting herself to say anything more. With that, she cut the line. Afterwards, she texted him the address and name of the bakery, and the order number. She already paid for it with her card so all Percy had to do was show up.

Just like he promised, Mark showed up at noon, ringing the doorbell. He greeted Annabeth with a peck on the cheek and Anthony with a ruffle to the young boy's hair. Anthony ducked away after the first three seconds of contact and fixed his hair. Annabeth gave her unofficial boyfriend an apologetic look before going straight to work. She tossed a set of keys to Mark and pointed him in the direction of the shed in the backyard. "There's a giant box in there that has a picture of a party tent," she instructed. "I need you to set it up right next to the patio so that we can have a place to play all of the games." Mark nodded and got right to work.

As he built the tent, Annabeth called in an order for pizza: a large pepperoni pizza with olives, pineapples, Italian sausages, and bacon. This had always been what Annabeth had gotten with Percy when they were kids and it followed them into their teens and eventually into adulthood. Even after they had gotten their divorce, Annabeth still continued to order their usual and eventually, Anthony grew to love it as much as she did.

Mark was finished with wrestling the tent by the time the pizza guy delivered their order. They got paper plates out of the cabinet, said their Grace, and began to eat. Annabeth could sense the discontent on Mark's face but he didn't say anything so Annabeth didn't call him out on it. Anthony, on the other hand, was eating like there was no tomorrow. Annabeth noticed, since Percy had eaten dinner with them when he came over, that the two boys shared yet another trait with each other. The three of them were left with not a single slice of pizza left in the box; Annabeth ate about two, Mark struggled through two, and Anthony plowed through three. Annabeth's and Mark, both unable to accept the fact that a two, almost three, year old ate more than them, they split the last slice down the middle.

Since all of the party planning was done, the three of them thought that a movie marathon would be suffice. Annabeth pulled out the Harry Potter series and placed the first movie into their DVD Player. She skipped past all of the trailers and pressed play once the main title menu popped up. By the time the last movie ended, it was nearly eleven o'clock and Anthony was long since passed out. Mark offered to carry Anthony up to his room and Annabeth let him. When he came back down, Annabeth was still seated on the couch.

"I had fun today. I love getting to spend time with you and Anthony," he said burying his face into her hair and placing an arm around her shoulders. Annabeth stiffened slightly but Mark took no notice.

"I'm sorry," she said, pulling away from the embrace to look him in the eye. "I know that Andy has been giving you a hard time. But, thank you anyway for trying. I'm sure that he'll lighten up at some point." She gave the man a weak smile and he returned it with one that was much more genuine.

"It's really no problem at all," he said. "I'm just here to help make your life easier in any way that I can." He stood and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye." Annabeth walked Mark to the door and locked it shut once he was safe and in his own car.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

By three o'clock on Saturday, all of Annabeth's friends began to arrive at her house with their kids. Anthony began to play with all of his friends as they showed up. Once the largest crowd was settled in, Percy came in through the door holding two bags. The smaller of the two bags held the cake, which Mark gladly took from him, not realizing who the man was. Annabeth raised an eyebrow at the slightly larger bag but Percy simply put his index finger to his mouth before disappearing into the crowd. A few minutes later, in the backyard, Annabeth figured that her ex went to hide what seemed to be Anthony's gift, the back door opened revealing Percy with a huge smile on his face. "I hear that it's someone's birthday today!" He yelled out loud. All of the children running around the yard looked toward the sound and even though they were so far away, Annabeth swore she saw Anthony's eyes light up with a whole new spark of happiness.

"PERCY!" He sprinted all the way to his father and jumped the last few feet. Percy caught the now three year old in mid air and spun the child around. "I missed you!"

Percy laughed. "I missed you too Squirt!"

"Guess what!"

"What?"

"I three now." Anthony held up four fingers to which Percy laughed and put down the extra one.

"Where you been?" Anthony asked.

Annabeth panicked for a second, realizing she hadn't come up with an excuse for Percy's absence. Luckily, Percy was quick. "Well, buddy," he said, putting the little boy down and bending over to his level. He lowered his voice slightly when he continued. "I was on a secret mission for the Aquarium to go find some new fish and at the same time, I was out looking for the best present for the best Squirt in the world."

"You got me a present?" Anthony smiled widely.

"Of course I got you a present!"

"Can I see it?"

"Later, when its time for you to open your other ones." Annabeth was worried that Anthony would start to whine about wanting to see Percy's present for him at that moment but to her surprise, the young boy simply nodded.

"OK. I can wait a little bit." Percy ruffled the child's hair the same way Mark had attempted to just the other day but instead of avoiding it, Anthony smiled again and ran off to play with his friends.

Percy made his way to Annabeth and the rest of the adults sitting around the table under the shade of the patio roof. Once he was seated in a chair amongst his old friends, Mark decided to be polite and offered him a beer. "Sorry man," Percy replied. "I don't drink." Mark awkwardly placed the bottle back in the cooler behind him. One of Percy's cousins and Thalia's younger brother, Jason Grace, reached behind his seat to the non alcoholic cooler and tossed the black haired man a Dr. Pepper. The women at the table, including Annabeth, got up from their seats and migrated into the living room, complaining about the extra testosterone at the table. Percy chuckled at his old friends' behavior before turning back to his soda can.

"So, Perce, how've you been?" Jason asked.

Popping the can open, Percy answered, "Pretty good man! I miss all of you guys." He looked around at all the familiar faces who smiled back at him.

"Well, you shouldn't have left," Frank Zhang, one of his good friends from college, said.

Percy simply shrugged off the comment. Now, Mark was getting even more curious than he already was about this green eyed man. He had managed to do everything that Mark continuously tried to do over the course of three weeks. They all continued to talk about random topics from their jobs to life with their family. Apparently, all of them were married to their high school/college sweethearts with the exception of a couple. Jason was with Piper McClean and the two of them had a beautiful two year old girl. Frank married Hazel Levesque and the couple were the proud parents of a year old boy. Nico, his cousin, found love in a hopeless place with Reyna Ramírez and had a four year old son, but Percy already knew that. Of course, Luke was Thalia's fiancé so the two didn't have a kid yet. Travis Stoll was with Katie Gardner and they had a three year old girl. Travis's younger brother Connor was getting ready to propose to his girlfriend Lou Ellen. Chris Rodriguez managed to claim Clarisse La Rue and the two of them had five year old twin boys; Percy knew that as well since he was still with Annabeth when they got married and later, had the kids. Even Leo Valdez found happiness with Calypso "Callie" Martinez and they had a little girl to call their own. Since Mark was still in the process of making things official with Annabeth, he kind of took a step back and just listened. "What about you Percy?" Leo, who once was a hyperactive boy that he had befriended in high school, asked. "Anyone special in your life lately?" The Hispanic man wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"No, not since her," Percy replied vaguely enough so that all of his friends understood who he was talking about but left Mark out of the loop. Percy didn't want to say anything he wasn't supposed to in case Annabeth hadn't told Mark yet. He didn't like it, but he seemed to make Annabeth happy so, he guessed he was OK with it.

"Really?" asked Travis. He and Connor had always been the class pranksters and had sometimes recruited Percy. "Do need me to set you up with someone?"

"Nah, no thanks man." Percy took a swig of his Dr. Pepper. "I've still only got my heart set on one girl."

All of the men around the table, except for Mark, who was still utterly confused, nodded in understanding. Annabeth then came out and announced that the party entertainment was here and ready to perform. All of the kids ran inside to the living room so they could get good seats to the show. The men followed behind them, Percy bringing up the rear. Annabeth wanted to get in a quick word with him but he barely even acknowledged her. Once they were all settled in the living room, the magician began his intro performance, complete with the background music and everything. Percy took this moment to disappear but Annabeth caught a flash of unruly black hair making his way up the stairs. "WOAH!" All of the kids cheered as The magician finished his final trick of the introduction. By the time Annabeth looked back toward the staircase, Percy was already sitting in a foldable chair off to the side.

"Hello kids, my name is Dennis Castro!" The older man smiled at the children in the audience before continuing. "I've been a magician for a long time but I still remember my first magic trick in magic school. In fact, I followed instructions off of a tape to do it." He pulled out a little speaker with a CD Player attached to it. "Now, I don't have the exact tape with me, but I found another one but I've never heard it before so, bear with me." He pressed play and waited for the tape to start.

Music began to play and a female voice came on. "Welcome to Magic 101," it said. "Today we will be learning how to make a banana disappear. This trick is very simple. All you need is a banana and a bandana." When she listed the materials, the magician pulled them out from under his case. "Take the bandana and hold two opposite corners together with one finger in between." The magician followed. "Using a sharpie, sign the banana and place in the center of the folded bandana. Don't put the bandana down." The magician stopped halfway when he tried to put the bandana down. He struggled with signing the yellow fruit, causing the audience to chuckle. "Then, take the last two corners and bring them to meet the first two. Holding all four corners with your left hand, use your right hand to squeeze the banana." The magician looked confused but obliged anyway. He awkwardly squeezed the banana and all of the children giggled at the squishy noise that was caused by it. Even Annabeth couldn't suppress the chuckle that escaped her throat. She looked around and noticed that all of her friends were chuckling as well. She snuck a glance at Percy and saw he was genuinely laughing out loud. She turned her head to find Mark and saw that he was barely giving off a smile. The voice on the tape pulled her attention back to the magician who was now holding a bandana that was wrapped around a deformed banana. "Next, fully wrap the bandana around the banana and continue to squeeze." The magician followed the instructions with a disgusted look on his face. All of the kids and adults continued to laugh. "Now, locate one of the corners and grasp it in your right hand." Dennis the magician struggled but was able to find a corner. "Count to three and pull on the corner. At the same time, release the rest of the bandana with your left." Annabeth bit her lip. That squished banana was obviously still in that bandana and she did not want mushy banana all over her living room. The magician had all of the kids and even the adults count for him and once they said three, he pulled on the corner while releasing the bandana. To Annabeth and everyone's surprise the bandana was totally clean and there was absolutely no sign of a squished banana ever being there. All of the kids cheered at the trick.

"Where did the banana go?" Percy asked. At first, Annabeth thought he was poking fun of the magician but he looked truly interested and amazed. Annabeth shook her head at her ex's antics.

"That's a very good question," was Dennis's reply. "How about you go stand right behind the birthday boy's mother." Percy stood behind the couch that Annabeth was sitting on. "Take the pillow that she's leaning on. The couch cushion." Annabeth leaned forward as Percy pulled the cushion from behind her.

"Woah," Percy gasped. Annabeth turned to face him and saw him looking down at the place where the couch cushion once sat. In it's place was the banana.

"Check to see if it is the same banana please." Percy picked up the banana and searched for the signature.

"There's nothing on here," he said unable to locate the sharpie mark.

"Really? Maybe you should peel it." Percy shrugged and peeled the banana and, low and behold, there was the signature, plain as day, on the actual banana it self.

"WOAH!" All of the kids were wide eyed and absolutely amazed. Even the adults were amazed. Dennis the magician continued his show from there on as well as cracking jokes. Everyone was having a good time. All the kids played games and when it was time to blow the candles, everyone sang their loudest. Anthony was having such a good time and it seemed that his happiness had declared a temporary truce between Annabeth and Percy. Mark stayed back and participated in each activity only halfheartedly. Annabeth had trouble seeing herself with someone who didn't try to mingle with all of her old time friends but she figured that it was just him being unnaturally socially awkward. Percy, on the other hand, was joking and laughing with them with everything he had. Of course they were his friends too so he knew them already but when Annabeth was deciding who to invite, she worried that things would be uncomfortable since all of them seemed to have picked her side when they divorced. Percy proved her wrong yet again. Annabeth scanned the room for her black haired ex but he was nowhere to be seen. Something caught her attention from the corner of her eye and she was barely able to make out Percy's figure going upstairs for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"Mommy!" Her son brought her attention back to the party.

"Yes Sweetie?" she asked.

"Can I open my presents now?"

"Sure."

"YAY!" Anthony led everyone to the living room where all of his gifts were. He opened each one and was equally excited for all of them. He got toys, and clothes, and more toys. When all of the gifts in the pile were opened, Annabeth came up to Anthony and handed him her gift. He tore the wrapping off of the box revealing the newest Pokemon game for the DS. Anthony squealed with joy and thanked his mom a thousand times. He was just about ready to get up when Mark stood.

"I have something for you too, Anthony." He handed the child a medium sized box and stepped back to watch his reaction. As Anthony opened the gift, Annabeth saw Percy escape back up the stairs.

"Thank you Mark," Anthony said politely as he held up the Nerf gun that he really could care less for. Anthony stood up from his spot on the ground but before he could move, Percy shouted from the stairs, now carrying the large bag from when he walked in earlier that day.

"WAIT! I have something for Anthony too." Anthony looked giddy with excitement. "Alright Squirt, I'm going to need you to take a seat and close your eyes." Anthony did as he was told and waited. Percy placed the bag on the ground and pulled out a kennel. He unlocked it but held the door closed. "OK Squirt. Open!" Anthony opened his eyes and at the same time, Percy opened the door. A small miniature schnauzer leapt out of the cage and jumped into Anthony's arms.

"You got me a PUPPY?!"

"Absolutely buddy! And, he's still little and doesn't have a name. I thought you could do the honors." The three year old inspected the puppy. His eyes furrowed as he took in the black coat and noticed the white on the puppy's eyebrows, muzzle, and feet.

Suddenly, Anthony's eyes shined as he had an epiphany. "I know! I wanna call him Oreo!" All the adults chuckled at the simplicity of the name but cheered nonetheless. Anthony took Oreo to go play with the rest of the children in the game room upstairs while the rest of the adults moved to gather in the kitchen. Percy stayed back to put the kennel away and clean up the trash all around the living room. Annabeth watched Percy curiously. These past three weeks have definitely brought some kind of change to his demeanor and Annabeth wasn't sure she liked it or hated it.

Eventually, the night carried on and little by little, the guests began to trick away. The only ones left at Annabeth's house were Mark, Thalia, Luke, Nico, Reyna, and Percy. Anthony was now in the living room watching TV with Brendan, Nico and Reyna's four year old son. "So Percy," Mark began. "A dog?"

"Yeah... I had a dog when I was a kid. She was a black mastiff. My uncle gave her to me, called her Mrs. O'Leary. She was still a puppy at the time but the name kind of stuck. I was an only child growing up so having a dog made it easier for me to not get bored out of my mind."

"But that's so much responsibility especially for a kid."

"Yeah, well, it'll definitely teach him how to be responsible, that's for sure. Plus, I know Anthony well, and if there is one thing I learned about him is that he likes to be responsible for something."

"I still don't think it's a good gift," Mark said nonchalantly.

"Anthony sure seemed to like my gift way more than your stupid Nerf gun. I mean, honestly, how generic can you get?"

"I'm trying to teach the kid how to be a boy," Mark said raising his voice. "He has absolutely no interest in sports or anything of the like."

"I do believe that swimming is a sport," Percy said trying to remain calm. Everyone in the room, except for Mark, knew that Percy was the captain of the Varsity swim team in both high school and college and challenged anyone who contested the athleticism required to compete. Annabeth, Thalia, Luke, Reyna, and Nico watched the two men bicker back and forth as if they were observing an intense tennis match.

"Swimming is not a sport," Mark scoffed.

"That just shows how ignorant you truly are," Percy said now losing his cool. "I'll tell you what. You come to me when your _beloved_ football is an Olympic event. Okay?"

"Oh snap," Luke muttered to Nico who snickered in return. Both Thalia and Reyna smacked their respective men effectively shutting them up.

Mark stood up from his seat, red faced. "Please, I can take you on any day with my strength from playing football."

"Oh really? I'd like to see you try."

"Boys, enough!" Annabeth had had enough of those two yelling at each other.

"You know what?" Percy said, ignoring Annabeth. "You're just jealous."

"Me? Jealous of you? As if."

"No, you are! You're jealous because Anthony obviously loves me while he barely tolerates you!"

"Not that it matters anyway. I have more of a chance of being his father than you!"

"You know, that comment might hurt if not for one little detail."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"I _am_ his father!" Once Percy yelled it out loud, the whole room went silent. Everyone stared at Percy for a full minute before a small voice spoke up from behind him.

"You're my daddy?" Everyone whipped around and saw Anthony standing at the doorway, wide-eyed and holding Oreo.

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And there you go! yeah... Another Cliffhanger... but... I gotta do what I gotta do! You'll forgive me, I know. Chapter 13 is in the works... Review and it'll get here faster!

Don't Forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You


	13. Chapter 13

HEY GUYS! So... I was going to upload this on Sunday like I usually do but because I love you guys so much and you guys are always reviewing so I thought, why not? Sorry about the two back-to-back cliffhangers and the fact that they were both pretty major... Anyways... Thanks to **hunterLEADER** for the idea of getting Anthony Oreo! Keep giving me suggestions! You never know what might happen! And I love reading y'alls reviews... Those are always a joy. They put a mile on my face even when I've had a crappy day. So... Keep those up!

**PJOandHOOfan (Guest):** I apologize for the Feels Bomb... I tend to update on either a Friday or a Sunday but there are times where I'm just like: mercy go ahead and post because they're so awesome...Like today! but, I usually post over the weekend because I spend the whole week cranking out the next chapter. I do this so that I'm not limited to whatever I already have written down because sometimes I'm like: _OMG! I totally want to do this! _but then I can't because it won't tie into the rest of the story.

**jvu11501: **Because I love you guys so much and I want you guys to keep coming back! :D

**Guest: **How can you _not_ put them together!? After Annabeth and Percy, Leo and Calypso are the way to go for me.

**lololololol (Guest) & Swimmy13: **BREATHE! You'll survive... I promise.

**Sora Loves Rain: **You have no idea how hard that made me laugh in the middle of my Advisory class...

**hunterLEADER:** I DID! When you gave me that suggestion, I was like, I TOTALLY know what I'm gonna do with this!

And last but not least...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

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The room was deadly silent as all of the adults stared at the young boy in the doorway. It was as if someone pressed pause on them. Finally, Nico cleared his throat and every pair of eyes shifted to him. "Uh... We're gonna go now," he said awkwardly.

Reyna seemed to catch on to the fact that this should be a private moment between Annabeth, Percy, and Anthony and stood from her chair. "Uhh... Yeah. It's getting late and we have to get Brendan to bed before his bedtime or he'll be up all night and not want to get up tomorrow morning." The two of them awkwardly shuffled around the table and after getting their son from the living room, they left the home.

"Maybe we should go too," Thalia spoke up. "You guys obviously have a lot to talk about so..." She grabbed her fiancé's hand and after saying their goodbyes, left as well.

Mark still stood in his spot still glaring at Percy. Percy was watching Anthony apprehensively. Anthony was looking between his mom and newly discovered dad. Annabeth, on the other hand, was not looking at anyone; rather, she was just kind of staring off into space. "Are you my Daddy, Percy?" Percy continued to look at Anthony running through all of the possible excuses he could come up with to get out of the latest mess he'd made. He couldn't think of anything and looked to Annabeth for some sort of way out. At the same time, Annabeth looked at Percy and their eyes met. They knew that there was no way out. It was now or never. The former couple had been pushing this moment back but deep down, they knew it was inevitable. Anthony would find out one day and they would have to tell him.

"Mark, maybe you should go home," Annabeth said softly, unable to tear her eyes from Percy's.

"What? Why?" he asked, defiant.

"Because she said so," Percy cut in. He, unlike Annabeth, was able to break their eye contact to look the brown haired man straight in _his_ eyes with the coldest glare he could muster.

"And what if I don't want to, Jackson?"

"Then I'll make you," Percy spat through gritted teeth.

Mark scoffed. "Oh, sure."

"I suggest you leave now. We have family matters to discuss and last time I checked, you're not a part of this family."

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"I can," Annabeth said dangerously calm. "This is my house, Anthony is my son and, like it or not, Percy is his father. We have a lot to talk about and, right now, you _don't_ need to be here." Mark looked at Annabeth, stunned with the way her face was impassive but her eyes burned with a flame that clearly said,_ I can and I will find a way to hurt you in the most gruesome way possible if you dare to cross me._ Turning his focus back to the black haired man, Mark practically growled at Percy before storming out of the kitchen and slamming the front door shut.

Now, the only people remaining in the kitchen were Percy, Annabeth, and Anthony. Percy turned to Anthony, the anger drained from his face and his eyes softened remarkably. "Andy," he said. "Why don't we go talk in the living room." The three left the kitchen and went into the living room where the TV was turned off. Percy sat on one end of the couch and motioned for his son to take the seat next to him. Before taking the seat, Anthony placed Oreo back in his kennel so that he could have his hands free. Annabeth joined them by taking the last seat available on the other side of the young boy.

"Percy, are you really my Daddy?" Anthony asked for the third time that night.

"Yes." Percy said before he could back down. "I am your Daddy, Anthony." He looked straight into Anthony's grey eyes trying to understand what was going through the three year old's mind. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Annabeth close her own grey eyes as if to steel her nerves.

"But if you're my Daddy, why didn't you tell me before?" Anthony looked at his mother for answers but Annabeth was at a lost for words. She didn't know what to say to the child. Luckily, Percy saved her by speaking up.

"I told her not to, Andy," he said.

"Why?"

"Because I was scared." Anthony said nothing. Instead, he continued to looked at Percy to continue. "I didn't know if you would like me if you knew that I was your Dad because I wasn't here before. I'm sorry about that. I didn't know that your Mommy was going to have such an awesome little boy. If I did know, I never would have left.

"You looked so happy and I thought that if we told you, you wouldn't like me the way you do now. I told your Mommy that we should wait to see what happens. I'm sorry that we didn't tell you sooner Buddy." Anthony stared at his father for what felt like forever but couldn't have been more than two minutes. During that time, Annabeth marveled at how well Percy had handled that. She thought he would've taken this chance to chew her out and tell Anthony all of the things that his mother had kept from him. Instead, he blamed himself and explained their situation in such an easy tone that _she_ almost believed him. Finally, the three year old adjusted himself so that he was in a kneeling position and wrapped his arms around his father's neck, giving him a hug.

"I'm glad you're my Daddy," he said with his face still buried in Percy's neck. Percy hugged the small boy back, tears threatening to fall over his eyelids.

"I'm glad you're my son." The two boys hugged it out and Annabeth allowed her tears to fall for a little bit. She had been worrying about this moment for the longest time. She didn't know how she would break the news to Anthony without traumatizing him in some way. Annabeth was glad that he finally knew the truth and wasn't resentful to either her or Percy. There were no more secrets now. Anthony knew that Percy was his father and he accepted it with open arms.

Finally, the two separated from their embrace and Anthony began to fire questions at Percy. "Does that mean I can call you Daddy?"

"Sure," Percy laughed.

"Will you teach me how to ride a bike?"

"Eventually."

"Are you gonna take me to the beach?"

"If you want."

They went on for a good five minutes and Annabeth watched them with a smile on her face. Anthony had the biggest smile on his face and Percy returned it wholeheartedly. "Does that mean I don't have to see Mark anymore?" That question pulled Annabeth out of her daze and back into reality.

"Uhh... I'm not sure buddy... That's not really my decision." Percy looked over at Annabeth curiously as well as warily.

"Did you not like him, Andy?" Annabeth asked.

"No," her son answered straightforwardly. "He was a butt head. He always told me that I was wrong and that I should be more 'manly.' I don't even know what that means." Anthony's eyesbrows furrowed; Percy chuckled at the small boy's confusion and kissed his temple.

"Well," Annabeth said. "If you didn't like him, you should have told me."

"But Mommy, even though he was a butt head, he looked like he made you happy and I didn't want to make you sad." Annabeth smiled at her son.

"Aww, Andy, Sweetie, I'm happy if you're happy. I thought you liked him so I gave him a chance. Next time, tell me."

"OK." The boy nodded in agreement. "So... No more Mark?" Annabeth laughed at her son and nodded as well.

"No more Mark," she confirmed. The young boy cheered.

"YAYY! No more Mark! This is the best birthday ever!" Percy and Annabeth continued to laugh at their son while he clapped his tiny hands.

"Alright birthday boy," Annabeth announced once she finally calmed down. "It's time for you to go to bed."

"AWW!"

"'Aww' nothing! It's getting late."

"But I not tired!"

"Come on Squirt, listen to your Mom," Percy said.

"Daddy, can't I be with you?"

"Sorry Buddy, I'm tired too and I still have to drive all the way home."

"You can't stay here?"

"No, but I will be back tomorrow morning, first thing."

Anthony sighed in defeat. "OK."

"That's my boy." Anthony jumped off of the couch, went over to Oreo's kennel, and picked up the miniature schnauzer.

"Daddy, can you carry Oreo's cage upstairs?"

"I don't need to, there's already a space set up for him in your room." Anthony led Percy and Annabeth upstairs and sure enough, once they entered his room, the three noticed that one of the corners were sectioned off by a small gate. "Oreo is gonna have to sleep in there until he's a little bit older because he might pee in your bed."

"So when he's bigger he can sleep with me?"

"If your mother is OK with that."

"I'm fine with it," Annabeth chimed in.

Anthony placed his new puppy in the pen before running up to his parents and gave Percy a huge hug. Percy lifted his son into his arms and rested the boy on his hip. "Group hug!" Anthony reached over to his mother and pulled her closer to them. Once they separated, Annabeth made her way over to Anthony's closet and pulled out the young boy's pajamas. She decided that it was too late and that Anthony would just have to take a bath tomorrow morning. They changed his clothes and tucked him into bed. Once Annabeth and Percy said goodnight and each placed a kiss on their son's forehead, they exited the room and shut the door quietly.

Soon, Annabeth and Percy found themselves in the living room once more. "Thank you," Annabeth blurted out without really thinking.

"For what?"

"Everything." She stared off into space for a while before she broke her trance and looked at Percy. "You've been so great with Anthony and... I just... Thank you." She took a step closer so that she could feel his breath reach her cheeks. Annabeth had an entire speech planned out with all of the things that she wanted to tell him but she felt as though those two words were the best way to express everything that she was feeling. Percy simply smiled at her in return, understanding her thoughts and feelings in full. After today, Percy felt as though he was getting better at reading Annabeth. Eventually, he thought he would be back to the level where he could simply look at her and know what was running through her mind.

"It's no problem," he said. "I love the kid. You've raised him well." He paused shortly, closing his eyes when he opened them again, Annabeth could see that there was a film of tears gathering that threatened to spill over his long eyelashes. "I wish... I just wish that I was there. I should have been there. I never should have left. When I found out that Rachel cheated on me, I knew exactly what you felt. Well, not exactly what you felt because we were married and you were apparently pregnant." Despite the seriousness of their conversation, both Percy and Annabeth chuckled. "I swear to you that I never wanted to hurt you like that. She showed up one day with the papers, promising me all of these great adventures and I was so busy that day and the offer sounded so good that I just signed and agreed. Next thing I know, all of my stuff was out of the house and you were out of my life. I wanted to talk to you whenever we met for the divorce conditions to try and explain but I never had the chance. I just-"

"Hey," Annabeth placated. "You're here now, Anthony knows that you're his dad, and he accepts you. He loves you. You made a mistake before and now you have the chance to make it up. The past doesn't matter anymore. We were both wrong. You for leaving, me for not fighting. All that matters now is the present and the future. We have the chance to change today and make tomorrow better. We should do that. As corny as it sounds, things _do_ happen for a reason. Maybe our separation was a way for the gods, or the Fates, or God or whatever divine being is out there to give us a chance to experience something new. For the longest time it's only been you and me. That's all we've ever known. We were given some time to breathe and now look at us. We're back here together, standing in the same room we stood in when we got married and moved in."

"You know," Percy stated while looking around the room, reminiscing about all of their memories as a happy couple. "I still can't believe that you actually stayed here. When I made the resolution to look for you, I thought that I would have to search all over the city to find you."

"What made you look here then?"

Percy chuckled at Annabeth's ever curious personality. "I thought that if you _had_ moved, the people that lived here would at least have some of your contact information."

"Wow, Seaweed Brain. You actually used that kelp filled head of yours."

Percy lightened up at the use of his old nickname. "'Seaweed Brain.' Man, I haven't heard that name in a long time, Wise Girl." He winked at her.

Annabeth laughed her response and gave him a long hug. "You should get home. It's really late," she said when they finally pulled away.

"Yeah... I should. I'll be back tomorrow morning, though."

"Good." Annabeth pressed her lips lightly onto Percy's cheek before taking a step back.

"Goodnight, Annabeth."

"Goodnight, Percy."

* * *

And there you go! It's a bit shorter than usual but that's where I wanted this chapter to end so... At least it's not a cliffhanger! :) Keep on reviewing and keep telling me what you guys wish to see! I'm planning on making the next chapter will be focused on Percabeth because I know that after House of Hades, you guys are emotionally unstable so I wanna help you out a bit. I can't do that without you guys suggesting scenes! I _know _that you guys wanna see some more Percabeth so the amount of fluff in the next few chapters is all on you! (Well of course it's on me too but, you get what I'm saying.)

For all of you Mark haters out there... I hope you enjoyed Anthony's little comments about him ;)

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You


	14. Chapter 14

Hey guys! I know I said to expect an update on Fridays or Sundays and I didn't update but I do have good reason. One I was pretty pissed at the fact my phone broke so if I wrote while I was still mad, You wouldn't have gotten Percabeth... Also, the Quarter just ended for school but my teachers gave us all these projects so I've been doing them. I also updated on Thursday which is unusual but because you guys reviewed, I let you have it.

**maroulitsa: **They'll get together... Soon! I don't want to rush it though because, quite frankly, it's unrealistic.

**hunterLEADER:** That's actually _not_ a bad idea... I'll keep that in mind ;)

**jvu11501:** Thanks! I doubt that that was by best chapter...

**Guest:** LOL! I can't even with that...

**prettyneonlights:** not yet... ;)

**OMYGERSH (Guest):** HAHA! That's very sweet of you! And I don't think I write _that_ well but but that Creative Writing class seems to be helpful. ;)

And we must not forget:

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

Just like he promised, Percy pulled up to Annabeth's house at exactly eight o'clock the next morning. As always, he let himself in and made his presence known to all of the residents of the home. Surprisingly, silence was the only thing that welcomed him. Percy furrowed his eyebrows and leaned in closer to see if he could catch any sounds. "Andy! Stay still!" Percy could barely make out Annabeth's voice coming from upstairs. Kicking off his shoes, Percy climbed the stairs up to Anthony's bathroom, where his ex's voice made it evident that she was struggling. He placed his ear against the door and heard splashing, grumbling, laughing, and "Andy!'s." He chuckled to himself and shook his head. He listened for a few more minutes before deciding that Annabeth had suffered enough.

Lightly, Percy knocked on the door and pushed it open slightly. "Annabeth?" he called, poking his head through the crack.

"Percy!" Annabeth whipped her head around to face him, shocked. "When did you get here?" Her hair was up in a messy ponytail, her face was red with exertion, and the front of her old orange camp shirt* was completely soaked with water. Despite all of this, Percy couldn't help but think that she was still the most beautiful woman he has ever met.

"Not too long ago, actually. I heard what sounded like a war and thought you could use some reinforcements," Percy stuck his head further in the door and caught sight of a little boy sitting in a tub full of water, shampoo still in his hair.

"DADDY!" Anthony yelled, throwing his hands up in the air, effectively splashing his mother with more water.

"Hey Squirt," Percy waved. "I hear you've been giving your mom a hard time."

His son's eyes went wide and he shook his head fiercely as he denied the accusation. "No, Daddy, I wasn't!" Percy raised an eyebrow and averted his gaze to Annabeth.

"Annabeth?"

"He's been very hyper. I can't even shampoo his hair," she said. The former couple locked eyes, both with a mischievous glint shining in them.

"Well, that's too bad," Percy looked back to Anthony. "I was gonna stay all day today but if your Mommy says that you've been a bad boy, then, I'll just have to go home."

"DADDY!" Anthony protested. The young boy turned to his mother. "Mommy! You're gonna make Daddy leave! I promise I'll be good!" He looked between his parents silently pleading for a second chance.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked. "What do you think?"

The blonde haired mother stared at the little boy, their matching grey eyes boring into the other's. "I guess." A cheshire grin grew on Anthony's face.

"Alright, now that that's settled, you guys can finish up here and I am going to be downstairs making breakfast." With that, Percy closed the door and made his way to the kitchen. He pulled out the frying pan and set it on the stove to warm. While he waited for the pan to heat, Percy pulled out all of the ingredients he would need to make eggs, bacon, and blue pancakes. After drizzling some olive oil on the now hot frying pan, Percy poured the blue pancake batter on top and began cooking. By the time all of the pancakes and eggs were cooked and set on the table, Annabeth and Anthony came down the stairs, Annabeth in a new shirt and her hair in a neater ponytail. Anthony went straight into the living room and switched on the TV for his morning cartoons whereas Annabeth headed into the kitchen.

"Mmmm," she hummed, her eyes closed and nose lifted into the air. "I smell bacon."

"That's because I'm cooking bacon," Percy smirked. Annabeth gave Percy a look before walking over to the island and hopping on a seat. She watched as her ex lifted the last of the bacon off the skillet and onto a plate, now ready for consumption.

The former couple walked to the breakfast table and Percy set the plate of bacon down among the rest of the food while Annabeth called Anthony. The young boy walked in with Oreo in his arms. Percy smiled at the sight before disappearing back into the kitchen. Annabeth got Anthony and herself settled into the chairs around the table. Soon, Percy came back out of the kitchen with a small bowl. He placed it on the ground by Anthony's chair and took the puppy from his son's arms. "Go wash your hands," he said. Anthony hopped down from his seat to go follow his father's instructions. Percy set the puppy in front of the bowl and the miniature schnauzer stuffed his face with the dog food. Percy sat on his seat as Anthony reappeared from the kitchen, hands clean. Together, the three said Grace before digging into the 'feast' as Percy so gladly named it, to which Annabeth rolled her grey orbs yet the smile that graced her lips exposed her playful nature.

Once they finished eating, Percy and Annabeth cleaned off the table while Anthony went back into the living room with Oreo. "So, what are we doing today Mr. Dad?" Annabeth asked from her position at the sink. Percy placed the last of the leftovers in the fridge after covering them with Saran Wrap, closed the door, and looked up at Annabeth's back. He walked up to her and snaked his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Hmm," he hummed. "I think that the new water park down the street has our names written _all over it._ Don't you think?" He used the same husky voice from all those weeks ago when he convinced her to go out Coney Island.

"Uhh..." Annabeth nearly dropped the dish she was holding as her breath hitched in her throat and a chill ran down her spine, leaving a trail of goosebumps up and down her arms. "That... sounds... great," she gulped.

"Great. I'll go tell Anthony."

"Uh huh."

Percy left the kitchen with Annabeth perplexed with his attitude. She did know that he still had feelings for her. Unless... he really didn't. But then why would he kiss her? To mess with her? To toy with her feelings? _Well, whatever it is, it's working,_ she thought. Annabeth felt a really strong headache coming on so she decided to just push the thought back and just enjoy today. She set the last dish on the drying rack before wiping her hands on the towel hooked over the cabinet in front of the sink. Annabeth walked out to the living room where she was met with the sight of Anthony and Percy dressed and ready to go swimming.

"We're only waiting on you," Percy informed. Annabeth nodded quickly and rushed up the stairs to change. She shut her bedroom door behind her, walking to her closet. Three bikinis hung on the rack in front of her. Annabeth flipped between them trying to decide which one she would go with. All of them were simple two piece bikinis with nothing extremely fancy on them so she felt OK with whatever one she went with. The first one was white with black polka dots, the second was white with blue stripes, and the third was plain grey. After a short debate in her own head, Annabeth settled on the plain grey bikini since she didn't want Percy to think she was trying to hard to look good or that she was going to try to lead him on. She slipped off her pajamas and put on the bikini, securing the ties around her neck and back. She pulled on a loose tank top and slid on jean shorts. Once she checked her wrist for a spare hair tie, Annabeth put on her flip flops, grabbed her phone and wallet, and headed back down the stairs where her ex and her son were waiting. The two boys were already in the foyer, urging her to move quicker. She smiled slightly at their eagerness as she found her Jessica Simpson aviators, sitting them on her nose and over her eyes.

As excited as he was to go to the water park, Percy couldn't help but ogle at the way Annabeth carried herself. She still had the confidence that he admired so much and, to be quite honest, her body was still as great as ever. "Let's go?" she asked, smirking at Percy's dumbstruck face. Their son cheered and ran out the door to Percy's Benz that was waiting in its usual spot on the curb. As Annabeth walked passed her ex, she brought her lips to his ear and whispered, "You're drooling." Percy's hand flew up to his mouth to catch the excess saliva but felt that his lips and surrounding area were completely dry. He scowled at her, jaw dropping from her ever present capability to throw him off guard. "Close your mouth. You'll catch bugs." Percy's jaw snapped shut as quickly as it opened and he followed her out to his car, locking the front door in the process. As soon as the three were buckled up and ready to roll, Percy drove them to the newly opened water park.

After Percy found a suitable parking spot, he grabbed his duffel from the trunk while Annabeth grabbed their son. They made their way to the long line to buy their wristbands that granted them entry. Fifteen minutes passed before they purchased the bands and pushed through the turnstiles. There weren't that many people since it was late October but that day had been unusually warm and was perfect weather for a day spen in the water. Because of the lack of a large crowd, Percy found a good table with enough shade and was conveniently located by an entrance to the lazy river, the wave pool, and the children's park.

The two boys stripped off their shirts, leaving only their swimming trunks on. As Percy was folding the fabric and putting them in his duffel bag for safe keeping, he caught sight of Annabeth pulling her tank top off and sliding off her shorts. His breath hitched in his throat as he realized that she was wearing her grey bikini (his favorite one). It took everything in him to not take her right there. Percy forced himself to look away before she noticed him staring. To make it easier, he forced himself to focus on putting the clothes away and pulling out the towels. Annabeth handed him her clothes and shaking slightly, he took them from her hand and placed them in his bag.

Shortly after settling in, Anthony and Percy had their sunblock on and were ready to go. Annabeth, however, was having trouble reaching a particular spot on her back. Since Anthony had run off to find them some inner tubes for the lazy river, she was left with Percy. She looked at him sheepishly. "Could you...?" Instead of replying, Percy came up behind her, squeezing a good amount of the cream into his palm. Slowly, as if in a daze, he rubbed the cream into her skin, massaging her at the same time. Annabeth's eyes fluttered closed and she had to bite back a moan. Sadly (for Percy), but thankfully (for Annabeth), Anthony returned with three inner tubes; he was obviously struggling with the size so Percy had to go and help the three year old boy out.

Now that the three of them had sunblock on, they put all of their valuable belongings in Percy's duffel bag, which he locked up in one of the provided lockers. Percy, Annabeth, and Anthony stepped into the lazy river, mounted their inner tubes, and literally went with the flow. The three of them laughed and cheered during the rapids and talked and relaxed when they simply drifted. At one point, while they were coming down the covered section of the river, and alarm blared. Annabeth began to freak out which led to Anthony freaking out but Percy assured them both that it was nothing. Sure enough, the alarm stopped and large waves graced the river. The trio laughed and played as the river brought them around, rocking on their inner tubes. Percy threw his head back as another laugh escaped his chest and because of the large wave that had just passed, he flipped over and fell into the river. When he resurfaced, both his son and ex were pointing at him and laughing even harder. He felt his cheeks heat up slightly but soon began to chuckle as well. Once he had calmed down, Percy remounted his inner tube.

Eventually, the trio made it back to the starting point and exited the river. They walked to one of the food stands and ordered three double bacon cheese burgers, two large chili fries and three bottled waters. Back at their table, Percy, Annabeth, and Anthony said their Grace and began eating. When they had finished and their trashed was thrown away, Percy insisted that they wait thirty minutes before going back in the water. As they waited, the three of them, mainly Annabeth and Percy (since Anthony had pulled his video game out of the locker), talked about anything and everything. While Percy spoke, Annabeth couldn't help but stare at his figure that was so easily relaxed in the plastic chair. She'd seen him shirtless before, when they were married and also when they had run into each other when he was only in a towel, but he seemed to have gotten even more defined since _then._ Percy continued to talk, not having caught on to Annabeth's gaze. From then, Annabeth decided that she wouldn't mind it too much if Percy still had feelings for her. Thinking of that, the blonde haired woman was brought back to her earlier thoughts and doubts about Percy's true intentions and feelings. Her focus wasn't on his story or his body anymore; instead, she looked at his features and posture in order to catch any sign of malice or insincerity. So far, she had caught none but she didn't want to let her guard down one bit.

As soon as the thirty minutes were up, Anthony pleaded that they go to the children's park. Percy and Annabeth agreed and they found a good place to sit so that they could watch their son while he played. "Stay where we can see you!" Annabeth called.

"OK!" Anthony ran off to join the other little kids jumping through the fountain. Annabeth turned to Percy and noticed the smile on his face and the light in his eyes. They sat there together, silently, for about twenty minutes, just watching the little black haired child, before Annabeth announced that she had to use the restroom. After confirming that Percy heard her, she stood up and left.

When she came back her heart nearly shattered, although she didn't know why. Percy was standing by a brunette woman, smiling politely, as she rested a hand on his arm. Annabeth had half a mind to turn around and bolt if not for three reasons: (1) Anthony was still playing and she couldn't leave him, (2) Percy was her ride home, and (3) he already caught sight of her and beckoned her over to them. She grudgingly made her way to them and as soon as she was in arms length, Percy escaped the brunette's grasp and wrapped his arm around Annabeth's waist. "Annabeth, meet Gwen, we met a while back when I took Anthony to the pool," he introduced. "Gwen, this is Annabeth, my wife." Percy kissed Annabeth's temple and quickly whispered, "play along." The bubble of emotion in Annabeth's chest slowly dissolved as she realized that Percy was only letting her touch him to be polite. It made sense since he could never be mean to anyone, except Mark. Annabeth smiled and greeted the brunette, extending her hand out. Gwen simply looked at the hand before turning her attention back to Percy. She continued to flirt shamelessly with him even in the presence of his "wife." Despite all of that, Annabeth found that she couldn't get too angry because Percy's arm was still wrapped around her body and every now and then, he gave her a tight squeeze for reassurance whenever he felt her begin to stiffen.

After what felt like forever, Percy said his goodbyes to Gwen and led Annabeth away, calling to Anthony who came bounding up to them and grabbing Percy's hand. Percy moved his arm from around Annabeth's waist to around her shoulders. Anyone who saw them might say that they truly were the picture perfect family.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Once they were home and showered, it was nearly five o'clock. Not wanting to cook, Annabeth ordered two large pizzas. Percy opted for carry out and Annabeth obliged. When Percy returned with the pizza, he also had a Walmart bag hanging around his wrist. "What's that?" Annabeth asked.

"This, is our Sunday night," Percy said matter-of-factly. He set the pizza boxes down on the island and dumped the contents of the Walmart bag next to them. A box of "movie theater butter" popcorn and two Redbox movies tumbled out onto the granite. Annabeth picked up the two discs and examined the titles.

"'Monsters University' and 'Despicable Me 2,'" Annabeth shot a look at Percy. "Really?"

"Why not?"

"Percy, these movies are ten years old. And for kids"

"Would you rather me pick Rated R movies? Anthony is probably going to watch with us and besides, they're classic! They've been digitally remastered and I bet Andy hasn't even seen them yet." Annabeth huffed. Percy had a good point. She stuck her tongue out at Percy and grabbed the box of popcorn. Emptying the box, Annabeth put in the three bags into the microwave one by one while Percy set up the first movie: "Monsters University." Once the popcorn was all in a bowl and the coffee table in the living room was arranged buffet style, Annabeth called their son who was upstairs playing with Oreo. The little boy came rushing down the stairs with the miniature schnauzer in his arms.

Percy pressed play and everyone settled into a spot on the couch with a plate in hand. Oreo was on the floor eating dog food from his bowl. Both movies came and went with Anthony watching both attentively as Percy promised that he would love them. At some point during the second movie, Annabeth fell asleep with her head rested on Percy's chest and her arm across his abdomen. Finally, the movie ended and Percy found that he was the only one still awake. He checked his phone for the time. _10:34._ Percy looked over at Anthony and saw that he was knocked out. Drooling even.

Wiggling himself out from under Annabeth, Percy laid her back down gently on the couch. She shifted slightly but remained asleep. The black haired man lifted his son into his arms with the small boy's head resting on his shoulder. With his free hand, he carried Oreo. Percy brought them to their room and placed them in their respective beds. Coming back down, Percy drank in the sight of Annabeth curled up like a child on the couch. He rarely ever sees her with that calm of an expression on her face. She was always thinking about something so she never just got to relax. Percy slid his arms under her back and knees, lifting her off the couch. He stood still, waiting for her to get herself situated. Like he expected, Annabeth tilted her body inwards so that her head rested comfortably on his chest and one hand rested at the base of his neck. Percy carried her up to her bedroom and gently set her down on her bed. He brushed away a few strands of hair that found their way across her relaxed features. Unable to help himself, Percy placed a soft kiss on her forehead before pulling the covers over her body. "Sweet dreams, Wise Girl," he whispered softly before retreating back downstairs where he cleaned up the mess they had made over the course of the night. Once he deemed the entire first floor to be spotless, Percy locked the front door and hopped in his car to begin the drive to his apartment.

* * *

*They are not demigods in this story, Camp Half-Blood is just a regular summer camp that kinda has the same idea as the original. Everything is the same but without the magical aspect of it. Look up Camp Half-Blood Austin for more details.

There is Chapter 14! I hope you liked it. Just a little note. There are no such things as filler chapters to me. Even though it seems like one, it's not. I do everything for a reason. :) I want you to review and tell me what you would like to see happen.

Don't Forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You


	15. Chapter 15

Hey guys! I'm so glad you _actually_ started to give me y'all's suggestions cuz I was seriously having some writer's block… BUT YOU GUYS BROKE IT! yupp… I had no clue about how I would continue after last chapter… So, I am forever grateful (and you should be too) to **Greek Wise Girl** for the inspiration behind this chapter! :D And, to everyone else who gave me suggestions, don't worry, I've looked at your suggestions and all of them seem pretty awesome so I am planning the future chapters to try and fit it in! Keep throwing more of those suggestions out there! :3

On another note, my volleyball team just beat one of our rivals this past Monday ON THEIR OWN COURT and now we're tied for second place in our district! We qualified for regional playoffs and if we win that, then WE'RE GOING TO STATE! I'm so excited since it's my senior year and I'm one of the captains for our Varsity team. My girls are the best! :D

**Guest123 (Guest):** HAHA! #Sorrynotsorry ;)

**The freefaller (Guest):** That's so sweet considering that this is my first story! :D

**LOVE THIS STORY (Guest):** It would be cool to be a writer… too bad I've already applied to be a biology major. :3

**NotKasandra:** (1) Good for you. -.- LOL! jkjk. (2) Here is your action.

**Percy'sFosterKid:** Hey, at least I update at least once a week. :) I wouldn't leave you guys hanging for too long unless something extremely major happens. And I appreciate your support! 3

**TheGhosteWriter:** :D I'm glad!

And finally,

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

Percy thought he was in a pretty good place. He and Annabeth were slowly growing closer and closer ever since that Sunday three weeks ago. She laughed more often at his jokes despite how terrible they were and recently began to open up to him about her work life, commenting on the people there and not just the projects. In fact, Thanksgiving was Thursday of this next week and Percy was planning on asking her to be his girlfriend, again.

Today, Saturday, Percy was taking both Annabeth and Anthony to the Central Park Zoo since he had been given special passes for his work with the marine animals there. They needed to beat the traffic into Manhattan since that was death so Percy didn't even bother getting down from his car. He simply pulled his car to the curb and honked. Just to be sure, he also texted Annabeth that he was just going to wait outside. Not very long after he clicked send, the front door opened allowing his three year old son to to race down to the blue Benz that sat idling. After she secured the door, Annabeth also made her way to the car. Percy unlocked the doors for them and the mother and son said their "hellos" before buckling up. Once he confirmed that everyone was absolutely ready, Percy peeled away from the curb and began the drive back up to Manhattan.

The ride there wasn't too bad. It was quiet at first for the most part but at some point on Manhattan Bridge, Percy switched on the radio which began their mini concert. With the windows rolled down, the two adults sang at the top of their lungs - horribly off key, but uncaring either way - and the young boy laughed, lauded,* and cheered at his parents' childish behavior. A few minutes later, Percy pulled into his apartment building's parking lot and parked his car in its regular spot. "Uh, Percy?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah?"

"I thought we were going to the zoo."

"We are, it's just that I'd rather not park my car on the street and pay for it when I have free parking here," Percy explained. "I thought maybe we could take a cab or even the subway."

"OOH!" Anthony said. "Can we take the train?" Percy looked at Annabeth who sighed and reluctantly agreed. The trio walked the two and a half blocks to the Canal Street subway entrance and descended the steps. Percy pulled out his wallet and paid the fare for the three of them and led them to the correct terminal to wait for the train to roll in. Minutes later, the A-Train pulled up to a stop in front of them. With about another couple hundred passengers, Percy, Annabeth and Anthony boarded the train. The doors hissed shut before the car peeled away from the station. They rode the A-Train all the way up to 72nd Street before finally stepping off.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked once they reemerged from the ground, seeing no sign of the zoo entrance.

"Yeah?"

"I think we took the wrong train."

"Do you like to doubt me?" He gave her a stern look without a hint of playfulness.

Annabeth's eyes grew wide and she shook her head profusely. "N-No! I-I just-"

Percy chuckled at his ex's reaction. "Annabeth, relax. I'm just messing with you." Annabeth gasped in disbelief and smacked him on the chest. "OW!"

"Mommy!" Anthony called. "You said that it's wrong to hit people."

"Yeah 'Mommy' it's wrong to to hit people," Percy mocked.

"Well, it is, but your Daddy is being a meanie," Annabeth reasoned with her son, ignoring Percy's infantile behavior.

"Oh, come on! I was just joking!" Percy complained.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's just get to the zoo." Percy nodded and led the way through the park and to the zoo, telling the two about all of the cool things that they could do while they were there. Without realizing it, Percy slung an arm around Annabeth's shoulders the way he did before when they were together. Out of instinct, Annabeth stiffened slightly but it didn't go unnoticed by Percy. He debated shortly on whether he should remove his arm or not but she said nothing against it and slowly began to relax again so he ultimately decided to keep it there. Anthony ran ahead of them, chasing some pigeons that had yet to fly south. It was pretty chilly and Percy felt Annabeth shiver even through her coat. He pulled her in just a little bit to try and transfer some of his own body heat and caught a whiff of her lemon-honey shampoo. He smiled at the familiar scent.

The walk couldn't have taken longer than twenty minutes but it felt like an hour for Annabeth. She was so glad that she decided to wear her converse that morning and not anything else. When they finally got to the gate, Percy flashed a badge and they were granted immediate entrance despite the long line that stretched behind them. Percy let their three year old son decide what he wanted to see first and the small child settled to go in order around the vicinity, starting with the rain-forest animals. As they passed each habitat, Percy was able to tell his son all about the different animals and what their natural environment is really like since he had worked with most of them or with someone who has. Once they completed the rain-forest section, they moved on to the temperate climate section, then the to the polar circle which housed the polar bears, penguins, and puffins.

Finally, they turned into the sea lion habitat where a show was actually about to start. Percy had seen the show plenty of times so it wasn't anything special to him but his son was bouncing with excitement. Percy even noticed Annabeth's eyes light up with joy. As the show went on, Percy caught sight of a man selling random souvenirs to audience members. Waving him over to their direction, the black haired man pulled out his wallet and purchased a Central Park Zoo hat, an owl stuffed animal, and a penguin stuffed animal. Both mother and son were too engrossed in the show that they didn't see Percy make the purchase so for the rest of the sea lions' performance, he had to keep them hidden.

Once the show was over, they waited for the stands to clear out before getting up themselves. While they were waiting, Percy revealed his gifts and both his son and his ex gave him a hug. They walked away from the benches with Anthony perched on Percy's shoulders, all three of them laughing.

After stopping to get a late lunch at the Dancing Crane Cafe, Percy led them across the street to the children's zoo so that Anthony could ride the newly added safari ride. The black haired boy hopped into one of the cars with the other little kids and waved to his parents who returned the gesture with a smile. When the "train" left the "station," Annabeth turned to Percy and gave him a hug. Slightly caught off guard, Percy hesitated shortly but hugged her back before pulling away, but just to the point where she was still in his arms. "What was that for?" he asked.

"Nothing really," Annabeth shrugged. "I just wanted to thank you for today but didn't want to _actually_ say thank you, again."

Percy laughed wholeheartedly. "It's no problem Annabeth. I really do enjoy spending time with _both_ of you." He shot her one of his crooked smiles that she loved so much, she couldn't help it when her face flushed.

"I'm gonna run to the restroom real quick, OK?" she asked just wishing to get away from her embarrassment

"Yeah sure," Percy nodded, removing his arms from around her waist. Annabeth removed her own arms from around him and went off to find the closest restroom. About a minute later, Percy felt a tap on his shoulder. "Wow, that was quick," he smirked, turning around to meet his blond haired ex.

Only, he wasn't looking at his blond haired ex, rather, he was looking at a certain brown haired jerk. "Oh, it's you," Percy dead panned, his face going slack.

"Yeah, it's me," replied Mark.

"What are you doing here?" Percy had completely lost interest in their conversation from the moment he turned around and realized who he was talking to.

"I came by Annabeth's house this morning and saw her get in your car, so I followed it but lost track once we hit Manhattan. I drove around for a bit before catching sight of you in Central Park."

"So... You followed us?"

"No shit, Sherlock."

"Seriously dude? Do you not have a life?"

"Of course I have a life! I'm standing right here!"

Percy laughed at his sophomoric retort. "Dude... That's not what I meant."

Mark's nostrils flared in anger. "Just stay away from Annabeth!"

"I kinda can't. She's the mother of _my_ son!"

Mark pushed Percy who stumbled back a few steps but remained on his feet. "Really?" Percy regained his footing and pushed Mark back with more force, causing him to actually land on his butt. "I told you. You do _not_ want to fight me. Stop wasting my time." Percy knew better than to turn his back on his opponent so he stood there, watching as the brown haired man turned red in rage.

"AAGGGHHH!" Mark jumped to his feet and attempted to tackle Percy but the black haired man anticipated the move so he easily side-stepped.

"Is that really all you got? Football player?" Mark spun on the balls of his feet and began to throw punches. By this point, a small crowd had gathered around them. Percy, for the most part, was able to dodge the messily thrown punches but miscalculated one of Mark's right hooks which ended up catching him on his left cheekbone. He checked the area of contact but found that it wasn't bleeding so there was no cut but would definitely lead to a bruise at some point. _Great, Now I'm gonna have a bruise on Thanksgiving,_ he thought. Blood pounding in his ears, wanting to get this over with, Percy switched from defense to offense, turning his dodges in to bobs and weaves. He first sent a left jab into Mark's side, then a right jab into Mark's shoulder. While the brown haired man was off balance, Percy tackled him to the floor. Lifting his torso by the front of his shirt, Percy drew his hand back and let loose a punch that connected with Mark's cheek. Percy drew his hand back again but before he could bring it forward, he felt a small hand grip his wrist firmly. He looked back and saw flash of blonde hair. _Annabeth._

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She asked, shoving Percy off of Mark and helping the brown haired man sit up. Percy sat on the floor looking dumbfounded.

"I-I was-"

"Attacking him?"

"Well, Yeah! I mean he attack-"

"Save it Percy."

"What?"

"I don't want to hear your excuses."

"Annabeth, they're _not_ excuses!"

"Either way, I don't want to hear them!"

"Are you _kidding_ me?!"

"Percy, I come out of the restroom and see you beating the guy to a pulp. I don't care what he did, you need to learn how to control your anger better."

"_I_ need to learn how to control my anger? Are you serious?!"

"Yes! You do! I know that you don't like him and I know that you've been wanting to hit him for whatever reason and it's not cool."

"You're not even gonna listen to my version of the story? He attacked me first! Look all around you! Everyone here is a witness!"

"I don't care who attacked who first, Percy! You knew that if you went all the way that you would seriously hurt him but you did anyway."

"Wait... are you... _defending_ him?"

"Against you? Yeah, I am."

"Are you _fucking_ kidding me? This guy. You're defending this guy. The same guy who insulted your son. _Our_ son."

"Percy! Watch your tongue! This is a _children's _zoo!"

"Oh, what, are you gonna add that to your list of reasons why you hate me?"

"What-" Annabeth was slowly growing confused by Percy's words.

"Oh, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I know you, Annabeth. You like to make lists. And ever since we ran into each other at the store, you've been mentally keeping a list of all the reasons why you shouldn't let me into Anthony's life; reasons why you shouldn't let me back into _your_ life! That's what you wanted right? For me to not come back?" Annabeth was shocked that he would even think that.

"Percy, I haven't-"

"You know what? No. You don't need to explain anything. I don't want to hear it," Percy continued, repeating the words she had said to him. They stung Annabeth's chest. "If you didn't want me back in the first place, why did you let me? Why did you give me hope? It doesn't even matter anymore. I told you that all I wanted was to make you happy and right now, it seems like me leaving is what'll make you happy. So, enjoy your life with the brown haired dufus." Percy stared at Annabeth, his green eyes blazing into hers. She tried to form an argument but her mind came up with nothing and her mouth remained dry of protest. When he turned to walk away, the crowd around them parted silently. He managed to walk a few feet outside of the once formed circle before something stopped him.

"Daddy?" Percy froze in his tracks before turning toward the sound of his three year old son, ignoring the stares that of all the people that stood around them, including Annabeth's. For Anthony's sake, and his own, Percy managed a smile, although weak, and crouched down to match the three year old's height.

"Hey, Squirt."

"Your leaving?" Anthony had just gotten off the safari ride and hadn't seen or heard anything between Percy, Annabeth, and Mark.

"Yeah, buddy, I gotta go."

"But I don't want you to go."

"I don't wanna go either but I don't really have a choice."

"Will you be back?"

"Maybe not today, Andy. I might be really busy so I won't be able to see you tonight."

"Are you going to the Aquaweeum?"

Percy chuckled softly and gave his son a sad smile. "Yeah... I have some things that I need to go check on over there."

A frown graced the small child's features. "I can't come?"

"Not this time Squirt. You have to stay with your Mommy. Maybe Auntie Thalia will take you guys home."

"Aw, man." Percy chuckled again.

"Sorry Kiddo," he said ruffling Anthony's hair affectionately. "I'll see you around, alright?" Anthony merely nodded. "Be a good boy for your Mommy, OK?"

"OK Daddy," was the child's reply.

Percy stood up, giving his son a peck on his forehead for what could be the last time, turned around and walked out of the zoo and all the way back to his apartment.

* * *

*Lauded: to praise, applaude

And there you go! Did you think I was gonna make this chapter all fluffy too? LOL! This is an angst story so…. I'm sorry for doing that to you guys, but what's a story without conflict? :P Also, sorry it was pretty short. Like always, tell me what you think and let me know what you would like to see happen!

ALSO! If you have any Percabeth oneshot ideas, I will gladly accept them and see what I can do for you! If you're gonna send me those, I would prefer it if you sent me the request through PMs but for those of you who don't have an account, a review is fine too, just specify that it is a oneshot idea. Cool? Cool! See you guys in approximately a week (give or take)!

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You


	16. Chapter 16

Hey guys! It's been a week hasn't it. All of my deadlines for college that i actually want to go to are today. In speech, we informative speeches where we got to pick any topic teach it to the class and I picked Percy Jackson! It was pretty cool! Also, I have the first round for regional playoffs today too! If we win tonight, then we play tomorrow! I wanted to get this out before I left for school since I'll be busy for the rest of the day and I wanted you guys to have it.

**BookwormSquidoo: **Aww! Thanks! I'll be taking that as a compliment. :)

**Greek Wise Girl: **Well, what did you expect? LOL! And I'm sorry I didn't post earlier but I hope you enjoyed your weekend! :)

**L6DaN97: **If you think that way then you might like this chapter but hate it at the same time... ;) and thanks! My teacher always says that we need to apply the new words we learn and what better way is there than to use them here?

**TheGhosteWriter:** Absolutely! Go ahead and review to your heart's delight! :)

**lol lollypops:** Don't you just love angst stories? :P

**POTATO (Guest):** Oh, you love me and you know it... :D

And finally...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

Annabeth hadn't seen Percy for the rest of that week. That Saturday had been such a blur to her but if she thought real hard, she could recall everything that happened. Especially the fight. She was beginning to think that she made the wrong call that day at the zoo. She bit her lip as she remembered the scene that had played out once more as if it were a broken tape that was stuck on repeat.

Annabeth had come out of the restroom, finally able to control her blush and saw a crowd gathered around the general area where she left Percy. Curious, as always, she rushed to the edge of the crowd and pined for a view over the heads of all the other people in front of her. Unsatisfied with her current situation, Annabeth began to push her way through the crowd until she was amongst those in the inner circle. The sight she saw practically shattered her heart and left her frozen in her place. Percy shot a left jab and a right jab at Mark's side and shoulder, respectively, throwing him off balance. When he saw the window of opportunity, he tackled him to the ground and pulled back a hand curled into a fist. When he released it, Annabeth winced at the resounding thump and was broken out of her trance. Immediately, a hot bubble of anger expanded in her chest. Annabeth didn't know what exactly she was angry at or for, but she would not stand for that kind of behavior. She stepped forward and caught the black haired man's fist before he could throw it at Mark's face for a second blow. He shot a look back to see who dared to stop him and Annabeth could see pure rage in his eyes. The usual bright sea green color was gone and what replaced it was a darker, more dangerous color; it was as though the man in front of her was nowhere near the kind, fun, easy going man she had once fallen in love with. The look he gave Annabeth made her want to cower in fear but she steeled her nerves and stood her ground. Once she spoke, Percy's eyes shifted back to the sea green only, this shade was much paler. From there, it all just went down hill. Although, she supposed it was going in that direction anyway. She'd thought that she'd seen the true Percy and that it _was _best that they were done. Then, she watched him with Anthony. Despite the rage flowing through his veins, he still looked at his son with tenderness, patience, and love. Annabeth was brought back to her thoughts from months ago and she finally was able to confirm that Percy Jackson is a _great_ father.

She'd brought Mark to a clinic to get him checked out and to make sure that he wasn't too badly hurt. Then, she'd told him that they were done and that it would be best if he just left them alone. After a short argument, Mark eventually relented and said his final goodbye.

Thinking back to that day broke her heart. And, her heart continued to break every morning when Anthony would ask her if Percy was coming. She'd called him multiple times and texted him on several occasions but not once had he answered or replied. At one point, Anthony called Percy himself, using the house phone. Annabeth guessed that he hadn't saved the number to his own phone yet so he picked up. The two of them held a conversation for quite sometime. It seemed like Percy explained some reason as to why he couldn't come besides the fact that _she_ was the real reason. When Anthony began to say goodbye, Annabeth signaled for him to pass the phone to her. He did, but once she called out her ex's name, she heard the call drop.

Thanksgiving was that night and Annabeth had absolutely no plans. She and Anthony were supposed to be spending it with Percy at the house but since he wouldn't even answer her calls, she figured that that was out of the question. On previous years, she and Anthony spent it with Thalia and Luke, but this year, they were off doing their own thing since Annabeth though she was going to be with Percy. Now, Annabeth sat on the couch while her son played upstairs in the game room with his miniature schnauzer, Oreo. Suddenly, her phone started ringing and a picture of Percy's mother, Sally Jackson-Blofis, flashed on the screen. She slid her thumb across the glass, answering the call. "Hello?"

"Hi, Annabeth," the older woman greeted cheerily. When she and Percy divorced, Sally continued to check up on her especially when she found out that Annabeth was pregnant with her grandson. It took a while for Annabeth to convince Sally to not tell Percy about Anthony and the older woman that it wouldn't be the best idea, but eventually agreed to keep the secret as it was ultimately Annabeth's decision.

"Sally! How are you?" Annabeth was so relieved to hear a friendly voice, even if it was the mother of her problem.

"I'm fine, and you?"

"I'm... good." She settled on after a brief moment of hesitation. To be honest, Annabeth was far from good but she very well didn't want to worry the woman.

"Well, it sure doesn't sound that way," the older woman said. Annabeth cursed herself. Sally has spent so much time being a mother that her intuition worked with just about everyone.

"I just can't get past you can't I?" Annabeth chuckled.

"Sweetie, I've known you for too long. What's wrong?"

Annabeth shook her head even though she knew that her ex mother-in-law couldn't see her. She rested a hand on her forehead saying, "Don't worry to much about it, Sally. I've just got a lot of stuff on my mind with work and Anthony."

"Mhmm, sure," Sally replied, not believing her fully. "Well, I just wanted to ask if you had any plans tonight for Thanksgiving."

"No, not this year. Thalia and Luke are going to be out tonight enjoying themselves." Annabeth decided to not tell Sally about her little... dispute... with Percy. As far as Sally knew, her and Percy were finally back on talking terms and that he knew about Anthony and that both of them were happy with the current arrangement.

"Oh, well, that's too bad." Sally was silent for a little while before she said, "I know! Why don't you join us this year?" Annabeth was unsure about that. Yes, she would love to spend time with Sally and yes, she would have something to do for Thanksgiving; but, Annabeth wasn't so sure about having to see Percy. Sure she'd called him multiple times but at least they weren't face to face. Annabeth wasn't sure about what she'd do if she had to spend an entire night in the same room as him.

"Uhh, Sally, that's incredibly sweet of you but I wouldn't want to be a nuisance."

"Oh, nonsense! You will never be a nuisance to us."

_Maybe to Percy,_ Annabeth thought to herself.

"And besides, it'll most likely be just Paul and I since Percy decided that there was too much work to be done at the Aquarium.

Annabeth bit her lip. She was still hesitant to go but eventually agreed because she found that she could never say no to Sally. "OK, fine. I'll see you tonight."

"Wonderful! Dinner starts at six."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Percy sat on his couch in his apartment unmoving. He'd told his mom that he couldn't make it to her Thanksgiving dinner because he was too busy with work which wasn't anywhere near the truth. To be completely honest, he just didn't want his mom to see his discolored face and worry about him more than was necessary. That, and the fact that he was still too mad at Annabeth to do anything. He replayed that day over and over in his head. He still couldn't believe her. How could she not believe him? How could she not even _listen_ to him? And to think that tonight, he was supposed to be asking her to be his girlfriend and getting one step closer to making what they had official once more. He shook his head and dismissed the thought.

Percy pulled out his phone and clicked on the camera. He flipped the camera so that instead of looking at the TV on the screen, he saw himself. Tilting his head slightly, Percy was able to get a better view of the dark purple bruise that still branded his left cheek. Mark apparently hit him harder than he thought. The bruise didn't show until the morning after the fight. When he first caught sight of it in the bathroom, the spot was bright red and by the end of the day, it turned a more bluish color. The week went by and the contusion transitioned into a deep purple. Percy had to look up why the color was so deep and found out that the brown haired idiot busted the blood vessels and capillaries closer to the surface of his skin, causing the intense colors. Turning his phone back off, Percy let his head fall back as he let out a groan in frustration.

This past week, Annabeth had called his phone a total fifteen times and left a total of twenty-seven messages. Each of them, he'd ignored. So now, he was spending his Thanksgiving alone, in his apartment, wallowing in his bad luck.

For the rest of the day, Percy sat in his spot on the couch, watching the movie marathon that played on AMC. Eventually, unable to leave his mom hanging, at around six o'clock, Percy decided that if he left right then, he would still make the end of dinner. He turned the TV off and grabbed his keys and phone off of the small tabletop by the threshold. Locking his front door, Percy made his way down to his car, started it, and began the short drive to his mother's apartment.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Dinner had already started at the Blofis residence. The dining table was filled with plates of turkey, ham, stuffing, cornbread, salad, pasta, brisket, potato salad, and pumpkin pie. Around it were Sally, her husband Paul, Annabeth, and Anthony. The three adults in the room spoke about simple, trivial topics such as politics, work, and other basic questions to just catch up on each other's lives. Apparently, Sally just sent in the manuscript for her third novel to her publisher so that it could be edited and, later, sent out for print; Paul, on the other hand, still worked at Goode High School as an English teacher except he now taught AP English Literature and Composition rather than on-level Freshman English.

Around halfway through dinner, the doorbell rang. Sally excused herself, muttering under her breath about who it could possibly be. Annabeth saw Anthony pushing around his vegetables in the corner of her eye and told him that he needed to eat his food and not play with it. The small boy huffed but obeyed. Paul smirked at Annabeth, giving her a knowing wink. He opened his mouth to comment but was interrupted by an outburst from Sally. "Oh my goodness, Percy! What happened to you?" Annabeth could hear Sally's muffled cry from the hallway and instantly began to panic. Percy was here. "My poor baby, let me get you some ice!"

"Mom, I'm fine!" Percy protested. "This happened a while back. It's just healing now." Their voices became clearer to Annabeth as mother and son slowly made their way back to the kitchen. The blonde haired woman turned her head to face the doorway and was greeted with the view of her ex sporting a large purple bruise on his left cheek. She gasped lightly at the gnarly sight and brought a hand to her mouth. She didn't recall Percy ever getting hit on Saturday, just him hitting Mark. Out of the corner of her eye, Annabeth saw Anthony look up from his plate and catch sight of his father.

"DADDY!" The small boy hopped out of his chair and ran to the black haired man, throwing his arms around his legs.

"Hey Squirt!" Percy laughed. "I missed you." He picked up the boy and rested him on his hip.

"Daddy, what happened to your cheek?" Anthony poked the bruise lightly and Percy winced slightly but continued to smile nonetheless.

"Nothing important. One of the fish at the Aquarium slapped me in the face!" Percy tapped his son's face lightly and the little boy giggled. "I'll be fine though. I sent that fish to time out." Now, Anthony was full on laughing. Percy set Anthony down and took the empty seat next to Paul. Sally emerged from the kitchen carrying a placemat, a plate, and utensils. She placed the items down in front of her son, who smiled and kissed her cheek in return. Percy said a quick prayer of thanks before joining in on the feast. Annabeth noticed that he hadn't even acknowledged her presence even though she was sitting right in front of him.

"So, Percy," Paul began. "How've you been?"

Percy wiped his mouth with a napkin before answering. "I've been good. Been really busy with work lately." Both Paul and Sally nodded in understanding. "I wasn't supposed to be here today but, I managed to convince my boss to let me." Percy felt bad about lying to his mom and Paul. They've both been so honest with him about everything and here he was, lying to their faces. _It's all with good intension, _he argued. _I didn't want to worry them._

"Well, that's nice." The dinner lapsed into silence once more and Annabeth couldn't help but stare at the wound that graced his cheek. Just looking at it made her lose her appetite.

Eventually, dinner ended. Annabeth moved to assist Sally in the clean up but the older woman denied her and said that Paul would help. Her husband nodded in agreement and told her to join Percy and Anthony in the living room. When she got there, she was met by an empty room. Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed in confusion until she heard laughter coming from one of the halls. She followed the sound and was brought to Percy's old bedroom. She pushed the door open to reveal a room that hadn't aged a single day since she last saw it. The walls were still blue as ever, so was the bed, and the carpet still had the pizza stain from when Percy dropped his slice face down when they were still teenagers because she had... distracted him. Her face went warm from the memory all those years ago. Annabeth guessed that Sally was never able to remove the discoloration from the floor.

The two boys sat on the large beanbag that Percy had positioned in front of the TV with Anthony in his father's lap, playing on Percy's old game console. Anthony looked away from the screen. "Hi Mommy," he said before returning his attention to the game. Percy simply looked at her, his facial expression indifferent, nearly stoic, and his eyes so clouded that she couldn't read them at all, before turning back to the game.

Tired of being treated like she was a speck of dust, Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Percy." The green eyed man trained his sea green orbs on her once again, waiting for her to dare and challenge him. "We need to talk." Annabeth guessed that he didn't want anything to seem wrong to Anthony so he stood up, kissed the top of his son's head and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

"What?"

"Not here." She took hold of his wrist but he snatched it back. Annabeth's heart stung. Taking the message, she began to retreat to the front door with Percy at her heels. They called out to Sally and Paul that they would be back shortly, grabbed their coats, and left. Annabeth led the way down the familiar path up the stairs and to the roof. Once outside, Percy found the brick they had brought up years ago and placed it in the space between the door and the frame, as he had done millions of times before, to keep it open. The two stood in front of each other before Percy repeated what he had said back in the hallway. In response, Annabeth lifted her hand to caress the wound but before she could make contact, Percy stepped away.

"Don't touch me," he said. Annabeth's arm dropped slowly back to her side.

"Did... Mark... do that?" She asked slowly.

"No," was his reply. "The Easter Bunny did." Percy crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you want Annabeth? I told you that I was done. That I was going to leave you alone. I gave up my son so that you would be happy. What else do you want? The car seat?"

Annabeth's eyes stung with tears as she shook her head. "No, you keep it." Percy's eyes narrowed.

"Is there even any point for me to keep it?"

"Yes," she said. "I still want you in Anthony's life."_ And mine,_ she thought but wouldn't dare say it out loud.

"Oh, really. Is that so?" Annabeth nodded. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Annabeth bit her lower lip. "Fine. I'll come back but only for Anthony. But between you and me, you've made your decision. I'm tired playing your games, Annabeth. I'm tired trying to figure out whether I'm on your good side or your bad side everyday. So, I'm done. I'm done walking on eggshells for you. I'm a grown man and although I may act childish at times, I deserve to be treated like the adult I am." Annabeth nodded once again. She thought that her head might fall off if she kept it up.

"I know that now," she said rather quietly.

"Good." Without another word, Percy turned and began heading for the roof door, leaving Annabeth to follow.

* * *

And voila! That was Chapter 16! I hope you guys enjoyed that. I would like to see more reviews come in though... And you stopped giving me suggestions! :( and I even if you just want to fangirl, express your feels, etc. I'm totally cool with that! I like reading what you guys have to say!

Before I forget, I just put up a poll on my profile asking you guys which days you think is the best day for me to update. Make sure you guys do that. You can pick up to two choices. :)

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember!

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	17. Chapter 17

Hey guys! Miss me? Yeah... It's been a while but to be honest, this week was crazy. Between the two field trips and the fact that it was also one of those weeks where teachers decide to make every single date a due date for something important... Also, yesterday, Saturday, I was in Austin for my Volleyball State Championships. We lost. It sucks cuz I'm a senior. I'm really bummed... But I wasn't gonna let that stop me from updating for you guys... I was looking at the poll and you guys seem to want updates on Saturdays so, I'm gonna try and do that for you. :)

I would like to dedicate this chapter to the Philippines. I know they're going through a rough time right now and I wish them all the best. The Filipino people are fighters and they will emerge from this storm stronger. I am so proud to call them my people, the Philippines my country. My prayers here in America are in hopes that you guys will pull through. Mahal ko kayong lahat.

**Greek Wise Girl:** If I ALMOST made you cry then I'm not doing my job correctly... LOL Jk... I'm glad you're actually getting affected by this... I mean that in the best way possible.

**Renesmee27:** As long as it takes... Haha! I want to make it around 25-30 chapters. It all depends on you guys. If you give me some awesome chapter suggestions then I will definitely try to make it fit.

**jellyfish (Guest): **Fangirl away! ;)

**Guest (1):** Youve re-read it twenty times? I applauded you and might as well be your best friend. It's gonna happen.

**BookwormSquidoo:** Your reviews always find a way to make me blush. They mean so much to me!

**Canadian Indian (Guest):** You know, the only other time I was called a genius was by my creative writing teacher when she gave me a challenge to write a sentence with every word starting with the same letter, and I gave her a paragraph. :) Thank you. And here's your update. Stay sane. ;)

And we must never forget...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

Christmas was now in season and the weather was getting worse. Stepping out of his car, Percy pulled the collar of his coat up, tightened the scarf around his neck, and pulled his hat down over his ears to keep the cold out and his body heat in. Reaching into his pocket, Percy took out his keys. As he made his way up to Annabeth's front door, he struggled to pick out which key was the correct one since he had on thick wool gloves to keep his hands toasty. Finally, he located the correct key and stuffed it into the slot. Turning the handle, Percy let himself in and closed the door as soon as he was clear. The sound of barking echoed throughout the home and Oreo, the Miniature Schnauzer, greeted him by placing his front paws up on his legs, only reaching his knees since he was still small. Smiling, Percy removed his hat and gloves, placed them in his coat pocket, and patted the canine's head.

He was shrugging off his coat when a crash sounded off in the kitchen. He dropped the black wool the rest of the way and threw it off to a nearby chair before rushing into the kitchen. When he appeared at the threshold, Percy gaped at the sight of Fruit Loop cereal scattered across the island and all over the floor, milk spilled and dripping over the granite, and a sheepish Anthony sitting on a barstool at the epicenter. "What happened?" He asked, taking a wary step into the disaster zone.

"I was trying to make bweakfast," Anthony replied.

"Where's Mommy?" Percy assessed the damage around the small boy.

"She's still sleeping."

"She's..." Percy shook his head. "Come on, let's clean this up and then I'll make you breakfast and check on Mommy." Anthony nodded in approval. Pulling the trash bin closer to them, Percy set it at the edge of the island. He then took a dish rag and ran it over the milk and cereal, dragging the wasted meal toward the bin and pushing it in. He repeated this process over and over until the entire island was clean. Anthony was picking up the pieces of cereal off of the floor and throwing them away as well. Percy went into the laundry room and found Annabeth's Swiffer mop. After ringing off the rag he used earlier, Percy gave it to Anthony so that the young boy could wipe down the counter while he mopped the floor. It took them a total of twenty minutes.

After he settled Anthony in the living room with his new bowl of cereal and his morning cartoons playing, Percy made his way up the stairs, taking two at a time. Annabeth's door was still closed and it looked like there was no light coming from inside. Opening the door slightly, Percy poked his head into the room. He took notice of the massive lump still on the bed and the bottle of Advil, Tylenol, and Robitussin that sat alongside a tissue box on the nightstand. "Annabeth?" he whispered. The lump in the bed stayed unmoving. Percy opened the door even wider and took a step inside the dark room. "Annabeth," he called out uncertainly. When no response came his way, Percy strode to the bed and saw his blonde haired ex cocooned in a mass of blankets, shivering. Taking a glance at the medicine bottles on the nightstand once more, Percy placed a tentative hand on Annabeth's pale forehead. He pulled his hand back after feeling how warm her skin was. He shook her awake. "Annabeth," he said. "Wake up."

"Mmurhhff," was her reply.

"Annabeth, come on. You gotta wake up." Percy continued to shake her. She grumbled another response and rolled over so that her face was buried into the pillow. The black haired man rolled his eyes at her antics. It used to be the other way around where she would be the one trying to wake _him_ up. "Annabeth, seriously. You need to wake up now." She stirred under the covers before sitting up, letting the sheets pile up around her waste. Percy felt himself go red at the sight of his ex in a spaghetti strap tank top especially since it was obvious that she wasn't wearing a bra at the moment. He was quite thankful that she couldn't tell because of how dark the room was as he was supposed to be mad at her still. In the week and a half since he announced that he was done with Annabeth, he had disregarded all of her attempts to get him to open back up to her. Percy crossed his arms and steeled himself, the warmth on his face faded. "It's eight o'clock," he said.

"I know," Annabeth replied. "I don't think I'm going to work today. I feel terrible." She sniffled as if to prove her point. Percy disappeared into the bathroom and located the thermometer. He put the plastic wrap over the tip and walked back into the bedroom. The lamp at Annabeth's bedside was now on and Percy could see the room slightly better. He turned on the thermometer and waited for it to set.

"Here." Percy held the little stick out for Annabeth and she positioned it under her tongue. The wait was silent. Only the sound of Anthony's TV shows downstairs filled the background. Finally, a little beep rang throughout the room. The black-haired man plucked the thermometer from her mouth and looked at the little screen. "103.4. Annabeth, you're burning up!"

"Yeah, I know that." She brought a hand up to her mouth as she let loose a cough that cleared her throat and the phlegm that seemingly sat in her throat. She stood, dragged herself to the bathroom and spit the gooey substance into the running water. When she returned, she collapsed on her bed and groaned once more.

"Have you called in yet?" Percy asked.

"You just woke me up so, no."

"When did you start to feel bad?"

"Uhh... Last night, before I went to bed." Her face scrunched up in thought as she struggled to recall the facts.

"And when did you take each of these medications?" Percy plucked up a notepad and pen and wrote down the names of all the medication that sat on the bedside table.

"I took the Advil when my headache started at around eight o'clock last night," Annabeth began. "Then, after I went to bed, I woke up because I started coughing and took the Robitussin. That was at about ten o'clock." Percy scribbled the times beside the corresponding names.

"And the Tylenol?" He said when he looked up.

"I took the Tylenol at like... two in the morning when I felt I had a fever." Percy jotted down the time into the notepad.

"Ok." Percy pulled out his phone and checked the time. "It's... eight-forty-five right now so... What is that, almost seven hours?" Percy's eyebrows furrowed as he did the math in his head. Despite being sick, Annabeth couldn't help but notice how cute he looked. "I'm gonna have you take another Tylenol since your fever is so high and I'll get you an appointment with Will. So, go take your medicine and get dressed." With that, Percy stalked out of the room to go make some calls.

Annabeth watched her black haired ex leave the room with total concentration on his face. She had never seen him take charge like that. Sure he was the Captain of the swim team but all he really did was teach them better techniques and keep them motivated because that was the job description. He never barked orders like he did just then. And before, when they were together, he had always gone along with what she had said. This new, firm Percy was totally and completely hot. Actually, if Annabeth was going to be truly honest with herself, she'd have to admit that it was downright _sexy._

She followed Percy's order and took two tablets of the Tylenol, using the water that sat in a plastic bottle by all of the other medication, and checking the time so that she could let Percy know. After brushing her teeth, Annabeth threw on a plain white v-neck, an old college hoodie, and a pair of dark blue jeans. Slipping on some socks and brown uggs, she made her way down stairs where Percy was still on the phone.

"Yeah... Eleven?... Alright... See you then... Bye, Will." Percy hung up the phone and turned to Annabeth who had picked a spot on one of the island's bar stools. "I just talked to Will. He said he'll squeeze you in for an appointment at eleven so we'll leave here at ten-fifteen so we can get there on time." He turned to walk away but stopped. "I also called you in from work. They said to get well soon." Percy left Annabeth in the kitchen, probably so that he could get Anthony's stuff ready. Coming back to reality, Annabeth noticed the plate covered with paper towel. Curious, she pulled it off, revealing blue pancakes with two butter eyes and a syrup smile. Annabeth remembered that this was the same breakfast that Percy's mother served him whenever he was sick. She smiled slightly and pulled a knife and fork from the drawer beside her and began to dig in. _Maybe Percy still cared, _she thought.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

At a quarter past ten, Percy, Annabeth, and Anthony piled into the blue Benz and began the drive up to Bellvue Hospital where their good friend, Will Solace, owned a clinic under a contract. Percy paid for entrance to the garage and found an empty space on the third floor. He pulled into the spot and shut his car off. The three got out and walked to the elevator. Percy let Anthony press the buttons ands when the elevator came to a stop, both boys jumped to fight the gravitational force. Annabeth rolled her eyes at their behavior but was content with seeing Percy smile since all he had been giving her lately were indifferent glances, stern looks, and the occasional glare. She knew she messed up and she regretted it ever since. Percy led the way past the lobby and up to the ninth floor. The two boys repeated what they did in the other elevator except this time, Annabeth panicked slightly since they were nine stories above ground. The elevator held the weight and opened with a ding much to Annabeth's relief. They walked through the cold corridors until they stiff in front of a door that said _Will Solace - General Physician._ Percy opened the door and ushered Annabeth and Anthony inside. They waited among other patients and bad magazines until a nurse poked her head out from behind the glass door and called, "Annabeth?"

The blonde haired woman's head shot up from behind the outdated People magazine and stood. Percy stood as well with Anthony nodding off in his arms and, together, the three followed the nurse to a room in the back. There, the nurse, a pretty Filipino who was not much younger than them, introduced herself as Maria and took Annabeth temperature and blood pressure. "Well," she said. "Your blood pressure is good 120/80 which is just where you need to be but, your temperature is still 100.3 so you still have a fever but according to your husband when he called this morning, you actually went down which is good."

"Oh, I'm not-" Percy began to protest but Annabeth cut him off.

"Thank you." She shot Percy a look before continuing. "I actually do feel a little better."

"Good." The nurse scribbled some notes into Annabeth's chart, flipped page where she went through the medical checklist that involved questions about her medical history. When they finished, the nurse told them that Will would be around shortly and waved a friendly goodbye.

"Why did you say that we were married?" Percy hissed at Annabeth. Anthony had fallen asleep on Percy with his head lolling around on the older man's shoulder.

"Well," Annabeth began, remembering them having this conversation months ago. "I remember a certain someone telling me that it would be easier and less awkward for everyone to just go along with it."

Percy's mouth opened but snapped shut when he realized she was referencing him. "Whatever." Annabeth smirked in victory.

Just then, Will Solace walked through the door. "Good morning guys!" He shot them a smile that was so bright it could blind someone. "I hear someone isn't feeling well." He looked at Annabeth.

"Yeah... I've been having a really bad fever. I think it might be the flu. It's been going around my office." Annabeth coughed into her hand as if to emphasize her point.

"Well, let's take a look." He ran over her chart to double check what was recorded before beginning the checkup. Will went through everything, from checking Annabeth's eyes, to her throat, to her ears, and her reflexes. When he was finished, he said, "It looks like you don't have the flu, which is very good but because you fever is this high, I'm going to prescribe some antibiotics to get that down and get rid of this bug. He scratched the prescription onto the pad and handed it to Annabeth. "That medication might make you exhausted so you need to get a lot of rest." Dr. Solace turned to the black haired man with the sleeping boy. "Percy, I trust that you'll take care of her."

"Of course," was his reply.

"Good." Will flashed his brilliant smile once more. "It was nice seeing you guys again."

"You too Will." Percy and Annabeth walked to the front where Annabeth pulled out her insurance card to check if her co-pay would cover the expenses. It would. They made their way back to the elevator with Anthony still in Percy's arms.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Percy pulled into the curb outside of Annabeth's home and parked. He stepped out and gathered a still sleeping Anthony in his arms. Annabeth met him at the front doors here she unlocked it and led the way inside. Oreo raced up to them and greeted both Annabeth and Percy by putting his paws up on their legs. Percy took his son up to his bedroom and set him down gently on the bed, tucking him in, and placing a kiss on his forehead. The miniature schnauzer followed the two boys upstairs and settled in a spot by his young master, curling into a ball by his side. Percy patted Oreo's head and left the room, closing the door.

He went downstairs to see that Annabeth had pulled out a few pots and pans. "What are you doing?" he asked. The blonde haired woman jumped at the sound of his stern voice and spun to face it.

"I-I was-"

"Going to bed?" Percy finished for her. "Will said you needed to rest. So rest." He went over to her and grabbed her shoulder, guiding her up to her room and sitting her down on her bed. He then walked over to her drawer and pulled out a pair of light grey sweat pants and handed them to her. "Here, change into these. I'll make you some soup then head out to the store to get that prescription and some other stuff. _You_ are going to stay in bed and... watch some TV," he said plucking the remote off the nightstand and turning on the flat screen that hung on the wall across from the bed. Percy handed the remote to her and left the room.

As Annabeth changed into the sweatpants, she thought about Percy and the way he took charge again. Only this time, she didn't think it was sexy; she thought it was just plain annoying. _But a cute annoying,_ the little voice at the back of her mind said.

_Whatever,_ was her reply.

Percy came back up to her room ten minutes later with a tray in hand. On it was a bowl of Campbell's chicken noodle soup, a spoon, some Saltine crackers, and a glass of orange juice with a blue bendy straw. "Here," he said, placing it down on the nightstand.

"Thanks."

"No problem." He smiled at her softly. "I'm going to the store now, text me if you need anything." She nodded and watched him leave.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The drive to the supermarket wasn't too bad. The first thing he did when he walked through the door was head to the pharmacy to put in the prescription order. The pharmacist said that it would take about twenty minutes before it would be ready so he figured he had some time to kill. Thinking about food, Percy grabbed a cart and circled the isles for possible ingredients. He picked up some more chicken noodle soup cans for Annabeth, some Goldfish snacks for Anthony, Beggin' Strips for Oreo, and for himself, a box of S'mores Poptarts. Percy also grabbed actual groceries like Velveeta cheese, cilantro, avocados, onions, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, milk, more orange juice, apple sauce, a bag of tortilla chips, as well as chicken breast.

When he decided he was ready to check out, Percy checked his phone for the time. _2:15. _He figured twenty minutes had passed and pushed his items all the way to the back of the store. The pharmacist smiled in greeting, recognizing his face, and reached to get the medication from the shelf. Handing it to him, the lady gave Percy a flirtatious wink to which he responded with a curt nod and a polite smile.

Once he made his way back to the front, the black haired man got in line behind the other customers and waited until it was his turn to be checked out. Thankfully, the cashier was a guy and scanned his items with a bored look on his face. "That'll be $42.50," he said in a lazy drawl. Percy swiped his credit card across the pin-pad and signed his name. Taking the freshly printed receipt, Percy gathered the plastic bags and carried them to his car where he placed them in the trunk.

Ten minutes later, Percy pulled into his self-acclaimed spot outside his former home. Popping the trunk, he grabbed the plastic bags and made his way up to the front door. After he unlocked it, Percy kicked it open and carried the bags into the kitchen. He dug through each plastic bag, distributing items to their correct place as he went, until he located the medication from the pharmacy. Taking the bottle out of the bag, Percy brought it, and a glass of water, upstairs to check on Annabeth. Quietly, the black haired man poked his head into the room and was actually not surprised to see his grey eyed ex curled up in a ball, sleeping. Walking over to the side of the bed, Percy set the bottle and glass on the nightstand and sat beside Annabeth's sleeping form, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. For a moment, seeing her relaxed and utterly adorable, Percy forgot why or how he could ever get mad at her. "Annabeth," he whispered as he shook her gently. "Annabeth, wake up."

The slumbering blonde shifted, mumbling incoherent sounds but Percy was able to catch a couple of words like "sorry," "love," and "Percy." For a second, Percy brightened up and thought that Annabeth dreaming about apologizing to him and finally saying that she still loves him but that thought was immediately dismissed when she mumbled "Mark." All trace of sweetness melted off of his face.

"Annabeth," he said completely void of emotion, reverting back to his indifferent, take-charge attitude. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing her stormy grey eyes that always captivated him. He almost lost his resolve again and it took all of his willpower to keep up the facade. "I have your medicine," he informed her. "You need to take it now, then you can go back to sleep." She nodded and sat up. Percy read the instructions and popped two tablets from the orange bottle and placed them in her hand before giving her the water.

Annabeth plopped the medication in her mouth and drained the glass. After jotting down the time on a post-it, Percy stood up and began his retreat before Annabeth grabbed his wrist. He turned back around to face her. "Will you lay with me for a little bit? Just until I fall asleep," she asked. Percy bit his lip and began to protest but the look on her face and her disheveled hair convinced him otherwise.

"Fine." Annabeth scooted over slightly so that Percy could fit on the bed. He laid his head down on the pillow and let Annabeth position her head on his chest with one of her arms wrapped around his stomach. Percy pulled his arm out from under Annabeth's body and wrapped it around her shoulders, rubbing them softly. She stiffened slightly but soon relaxed to his touch. He let himself kiss the top of her head and kept his face there, allowing him to take in the scent of her lemon shampoo. Soon, Percy found himself slipping out of consciousness and into the state of dreamland.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

It was nearly five o'clock when Annabeth finally began to wake up. She didn't remember her pillow smelling so good or being so firm. Humming in delight, she snuggled closer to her mystery pillow. Some of her hair fell into her face but every now and then, it would disappear from her sight, then reappear again. Confused, Annabeth looked up and was surprised to see a sleeping Percy, slightly drooling. She took a minute to just enjoy the view. This was the first time in a long time that Annabeth had seen Percy without him scowling or being so serious. Seeing the drool drip from the corner of his slightly open mouth reminded her of the times when everything between them was easy. She knew that she was at fault and that Percy had every right to be mad at her. She also knew that if they were to ever truly move on from this, she would have to be the one to apologize. Too bad her pride would always get in the way of that. For the moment, however, Annabeth decided to not dwell on that fact. Instead, she wanted to enjoy how close they were in proximity. She thought that she would never have this chance again. Annabeth was somewhat glad that she was sick because it gave her a reason to not take Percy's lips with hers and completely ruin all chances of him ever being more than just civil with her again.

The black haired man that had enraptured her every thought began to stir from his slumber. Annabeth knew by the way his breaths had quickened and his eyelids squeezed together before opening slightly. His sea green eyes glanced around the room, most likely in an attempt to remember what was going on. Eventually, they made their way down to Annabeth and the former couple locked eyes. For the longest time, the two simply stared, niether saying a word nor wanting to say a word, their faces inches away from the other. Finally, Percy broke the silence by clearing his throat and asking Annabeth how she felt.

"I feel better," she breathed. "Definitely better."

"That's good." They lapsed into another moment of silence.

"Thank you," Annabeth said after some time.

"For?"

"For taking care of me and Anthony today," she elaborated. "I know I'm not first person on your priority list but I'm glad you're here."

"It's no problem," he replied. "I was already here." Annabeth wasn't sure whether that was a compliment or a simple 'I had nothing better to do' statement so she decided to just not comment on it. They laid there for a time, not doing anything but after sometime, Percy stood. "Stay here, I'm gonna go make some dinner."

Annabeth nodded and watched Percy leave the room. Before going downstairs, Percy checked on Anthony who was playing video games in the game room with Oero by his side. _Easiest kid ever,_ he thought, smiling. When he was in the kitchen, he pulled out all of the ingredients he bought earlier along with a sauce pan, and a large George Foreman grill. Once the sauce pan was heated, Percy put a chunk of the Velveeta cheese in it along with some milk, then turned to the chopping board he set out on the island and proceeded to chop up the onions, tomatoes and cilantro, sectioning off portions and putting them into separate bowls. Next, he took the avocados and sliced those up, throwing it into one of the bowls and folded the ingredients, all while adding salt and lime. For the other bowl, he simply added salt and lime and mixed the chunks of onions, tomatoes, and cilantro together. With those two done, he turned to the chicken breasts and seasoned it. When it was ready, Percy placed it on the George Foreman grill and stirred the cheese while he waited.

Soon, he called for dinner. Anthony came bounding down the stairs with Oreo and Annabeth came soon after. They gathered around the table and after the said Grace, they began to eat their fajitas, taking tortillas and filling them up with sour cream, hot sauce, guacamole, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, and the grilled chicken, dipping the tortilla chips, that Percy warmed in the toaster oven, into the cheese sauce he made.

When dinner was over, Anthony escaped back into the game room to finish his game. Percy and Annabeth cleaned up the dinner table with Percy washing dishes and Annabeth putting away leftovers. As Percy placed the last dish on the drying rack, Annabeth bit her lip, staring at her black haired ex, contemplating. "Percy," she called after some thought. Said man turned at the sound of her voice, waiting for her to continue. "I'm sorry." Percy's eyebrows furrowed.

"About?" He prompted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"For going on at you on that Sunday." Annabeth let her head drop. "I-I was wrong. You were right."

"And what was I right about?" Annabeth didn't know what to say to that. She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out so she snapped it back shut. "You don't even know what you're apologizing for, Annabeth. I understand why you got mad, I do. I went overboard. I'm mad because you wouldn't even listen to my side of the story. You completely wrote me off. I know I hurt you all those years ago even when I promised you that I wouldn't. I know you've lost your trust in me. I know that. I just thought..." He closed his eyes and paused to gather all of his thoughts. "I just thought that despite all of that, you would at least hear what I had to say because you're that kind of person. You're the kind of person that wants to know both sides of a story before coming up with a decision. I'm mad because you didn't gather all of your facts. I'm mad because you didn't give me the benefit of the doubt."

Annabeth had tears in her eyes that were threatening to fall. Unable to see her like that, Percy pulled her into his arms and simply held her. Her arms automatically wrapped themselves around his waist, squeezing him tightly as she wept into his chest, apologizing profusely between sobs. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's OK," Percy assured her, rubbing her back in slow circles. "It's all in the past now. It's OK."

* * *

And there is chapter 17! I hope you guys liked that. It's a bit longer... I'm trying to make them longer its just that sometimes it gets difficult. Aside from Percabeth get thing together (because they will eventually), tell me what you want to see happen. I know that I don't respond to everyone's review but I still see them! Tell me everything that goes on in your minds when you finish a chapter. I love reading them.

Also, sorry for grammar mistakes. I'll proofread it better eventually. :P

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	18. Chapter 18

Wassup! Miss me? Yeah... Well something knew in my life is that I am on the basketball team now... And I'm captain. Yikes. Anyways, I have another two part chapter here so make sure you read the bottom note to see how you can get it. :) and I forgot to mention this before best thank you to **hunterLEADER** for the idea for last chapter.

**Bookworm Squidoo:** LOL! I'm glad you like it. It really isn't realistic to get them together so quickly and my friend actually said that she loved how realistic this one is. I gave her a challenge to look up all of the places I mention they go to, saying all of them are real. She did. They are. ;)

**hunterLEADER:** No problemo! I told you I would take your suggestions to heart.

**Greek Wise Girl:** I don't know... You'll have to wait and see how the cards are played.

**Beckyyy (Guest):** Well, if they're blue cookies...

**Guest 1:** Thanks for those suggestions! I'd say keep an eye out for them. Or at least one of them.

**Cathy C (Guest):** They'll get there eventually.

Finally,

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

Thalia pulled over to the curb outside Annabeth's place with Luke in her passenger seat. There were already multiple cars parked outside the home signaling the presence of all of their other friends. The two stepped out of the car and made their way to the front door. Ten seconds after Luke rapped on the mahogany, Annabeth opened it and gestured for them to come in. They settled around the living room, talking amongst each other, eating breakfast. The kids had all disappeared upstairs, most likely to the game room to play... well... games.

"I was thinking that since we're all here, we should go Christmas shopping," Piper said. "You know, I doubt that anyone has gone already and Christmas is just around the corner."

"Yeah, that's a good idea!" Calypso chimed in, clapping her hands in excitement.

"I guess," Reyna spoke up. "But there is _way_ too many of us." Sure enough, there was a total of twenty-one of them, including the kids, as Connor, Travis, Lou Ellen, and Katie couldn't make it. Thalia looked over and saw the gears turning in Annabeth's head as she thought about that.

"Well," she said, wagging her finger up and down as a solution formed in her mind. "Why don't we make it so that we go in shifts?"

"What do you mean?" Jason cocked an eyebrow at Annabeth, slinging an arm around his wife.

"I mean," Annabeth began to explain. "Us girls can go shopping while the guys watch the kids and then we switch off, that way, we all get shopping done."

"That's a great idea, Annabeth!" Hazel said, the words clicking into place.

"What time would you guys get back?" Frank spoke up.

"It's nine o'clock now, so how about we get back at one?" Annabeth suggested.

"Yeah right," Percy snorted. "A group of _girls_ going out to shop for only four hours? That's _totally _gonna happen." The rest of the boys snickered.

"Oh har har."

"You better go now to maximize those four hours," Leo pointed out.

"Yeah, we'll be expecting you to be at the door at one o'clock on the dot," Luke chimed in, kissing Thalia's cheek.

The girls stood from their seats and pecked their respective men and walked out the door. Thalia noticed that Annabeth and Percy awkwardly stared at each other before she turned away.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The seven women climbed into Reyna's eight seater Suburban. Reyna driving with Calypso in the passenger seat, Piper, Clarisse, and Hazel in the middle row, and Annabeth and Thalia in the back. Together, they drove to Fulton Mall and found a good parking spot by the food court garage. At the entrance, they decided to break off in groups so that they covered more ground and would meet up at noon inside the food court.

Annabeth went with Thalia and the best friends took off to find gifts for all of the little kids first. While at the Toys 'R' Us, Thalia turned to Annabeth, a curious look on her face.

"What?" Annabeth asked warily.

"Nothing," Thalia said off handedly.

"Nothing my butt," Annabeth scoffed. "I know you and you've got that 'you know that I don't, but I want to know so tell me' look all over your face. What is it?"

"I... How are things with you and Percy?"

"W-What do you mean 'how are things with me and Percy?'"

"I mean, did something happen to make you guys awkward around each other?" Thalia wiggled her eyebrows suggestively with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Annabeth's tan face turned scarlet beneath her blonde hair. "AHA! So it's true!"

"What?! NO!" Annabeth blurted loudly. "Thalia... We did not... do... that..." Annabeth went awkward and embarrassed again, something that rarely ever happens as she was supposed to be the level headed one who knew what to do at all times.

"Well, then, what happened between you two?" Thalia picked up a GI Joe action figure and threw it into her cart, not sure who she would give it to but knew that it would be one of the boys.

"Nothing," Annabeth sighed. "Absolutely nothing." She examined an Easy Bake Oven and decided that it would be the perfect gift for Travis and Katie's little girl.

"And do you want something to happen?" Thalia pressed, throwing Spider-Man and Venom action figures into her cart.

"No." Thalia shot Annabeth her 'don't give me that bull' look. "I don't know." Thalia kept the look plastered on her face. "Maybe." At this, Thalia took her hands, balled them into fists and planted them firmly on her hips. "Ok! Yes! I want something to happen! Happy?" Annabeth's black haired, electric blue eyed best friend grinned brightly, satisfied with her response.

"Finally you admit it!" Thalia pushed her cart further down the aisle and threw an Iron Man and Hulk inside the plastic basket on wheels.

Annabeth picked up a paint set for Nico and Reyna's son. She knew that the kid loved to draw and do art. And, although it would probably give his parents huge headaches and messes to clean up, she knew he would love it. "It doesn't matter anyways," she said dejectedly. "He doesn't even think of me like that anymore." Thalia halted abruptly, nearly causing Annabeth to crash into the back of her heel, something that the blonde knew would get her best friend pissed for ages. Luckily, she stopped just in time.

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked, adding an Aquaman figurine to the mix in her cart.

"Well..." Annabeth said slowly. "We got into a fight and he said that he was done with us. Us being him and me."

"You guys are both so _clueless!_" Thalia stomped off to find more gifts for the girls. Annabeth ran after her calling her back to elaborate on her last statement.

"Hey!" Annabeth yelled. When she caught up, she placed a hand on Thalia's shoulders and spun her around. "What do you mean we're clueless?"

"You really don't know?"

"You're not really saying anything so no, I guess I don't."

"Annabeth," Thalia said. "What exactly did you two fight about?"

"I- Well I..." Annabeth stuttered, her face tinted pink in embarrassment. Their latest argument was not one of her brightest moments. "We fought... about... Mark..." Annabeth mumbled the last part so Thalia couldn't understand a single word she said.

"What did you say?" Her best friend leant forward, cupping her ear, in an attempt to better understand the words that escaped her mouth. "I didn't quite catch that."

"I said, we fought about Mark," Annabeth said clearly.

"Mark? Who's M-" Thalia asked, confused. She stopped, revelation coming. "_Aquarium guy?!_"

"Yeah."

"I thought that ended on Anthony's birthday."

"Not exactly..."

"What happened?" Thalia continued to push her cart along the aisles and found toys for all of the children while Annabeth did the same and recounted the events that had recently occurred, starting with the day they went to the zoo. When she was finished, they had payed for their items and were moving on to the next store. "So, basically, Mark is actually a creepy stalker dude, Percy beat the crap out of him, you yelled at Percy _for_ beating the crap out of him, and the two of you stopped talking." Annabeth nodded. "Then, you got sick and he took care of you and comforted you when you had an emotional breakdown." Annabeth nodded again but stopped.

"I did not have an emotional breakdown!" she protested.

"You just told me that you did!" Thalia led them into their sixth store where they bought more gifts for their friends.

"I said I cried," Annabeth defended. "That's it."

"And when does Annabeth Chase ever cry?" Thalia's eyebrows rose, challenging Annabeth.

"When..." Annabeth started but couldn't finish her thought.

"When she has an emotional breakdown?" Thalia offered.

"Shut up." Annabeth turned her attention to the rack in front of her and picked out a nice, cream colored, u-neck blouse with elegant folds and held it in front of Thalia. "Do you think Calypso would like this?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Thalia said, brushing off the question. "It's fine. We need to get back on topic and it sounds like old Kelp for Brains still has a soft spot for you, Ms. Chase."

"You can't seriously think that. Percy just wanted to make sure I was OK enough so that I could still handle Anthony when he wasn't there."

"And what about him comforting you?" Thalia questioned as they payed for their respective items.

"Him comforting me was just his way of saying that he forgave me for blowing up on him. Nothing else," Annabeth said as she signed the receipt and took the bags from the sales clerk. "Thank you," she said before walking out.

"And he told you that."

"Well, no."

"So what are you doing here making assumptions?" Thalia threw her arms up in the air. Although, with all of the shopping bags hanging around them, she looked as though she were trying to fly with wings made of shopping bags. "You remember what our old teacher, Mr. Brunner, used to say? 'When you assume, you make an ass of u and me.'"

"And here I thought you never paid attention in high school."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I did," Thalia argued but realized what Annabeth was doing. "Stop trying to change the subject, Annabeth." The blonde cursed herself silently in her head. The point is, who knows if Percy is still in love with you? He could be head over heels for you for all I care. You just need to take the first step."

Annabeth was silent for a while after that. They stopped walking for a bit and counted up all of their gifts. "I have all of mine,"Thalia announced.

Annabeth was still counting when she said, "I have mine too- No, I'm missing one." She recounted her gifts and, this time, attached a name to each one.

"Which one are you missing?" Thalia asked.

"Umm... I'm missing... Percy's," she admitted.

"Of course. Well, let's get him one."

The two best friends walked in and out of each store, unsuccessful in finding what Annabeth wanted to deem "the perfect gift."

"Annabeeeeth!" Thalia groaned. "It's almost noon!"

"I know! I just need to find..." Annabeth trailed off as she stopped in front of a store. "Here."

"This place?"

"Yeah. I remember he's been looking for forever and hopefully, they have it."

"Have what?"

"The thing."

"What thing? Annabeth you're being very vague."

"Just... stay here." With that, Annabeth walked into the store and, luckily, they had what she was looking for. Since it was ancient, it was their only one and it costed a crap load. "Can it still be used?"

"Of course. All of our merchandise is still one hundred percent fully functioning," the clerk said. "I don't know what you'd use them for but, if the need be, then yes. We also do customizations for certain items."

"Cool! This one is perfect though."

"Well, I hope you enjoy it."

"Thanks!"

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The two girls made it back to the Food Court five minutes to noon and Thalia was hungry so she stopped by the Chik-Fil-A. "Can I get two Chik-Fil-A sandwiches? Both with extra pickles."

"Would you like a small, medium, large?" The teenaged cashier asked with just a little too much perk.

"One medium and the other, large."

"Drinks?"

The medium is a Coke Zero and the large is a Dr. Pepper."

"OK." The teen finalized the order and printed out the receipt after Annabeth pulled out her credit card. "Your order number is 23 and your meal will be ready in a few minutes."

"Thanks." The two girls found a table, relatively close by the Chik-Fil-A, that allowed them optimal view so they could easily spot the other girls.

Annabeth and Thalia sat and chatted for a bit before their number was called. Thalia was stuffing her face with her burger, leaving crumbs and sauce all over the side of her mouth, when Annabeth caught sight of Piper. She waved her over. Piper, Hazel, and Clarisse walked over, each carrying an array of brightly colored to darkly colored, paper to plastic, bags. The trio pulled up some chairs and took a seat. Clarisse reached over and stole a few of Annabeth's waffle fries. "Sure, go ahead. Of course you can have some of my fries. Thanks for asking," the blonde said, words dripping with sarcasm.

"No problem," Clarisse replied with her mouth full. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"We're just missing Reyna and Calypso, right?" Piper asked.

"No, they're right there." Hazel raised her hand and signaled them to their table. The last two girls navigated their way around each table before reaching the rest of their group safely.

"Are you guys all ready to go?" Annabeth said, balling up her trash.

"Yeah." The seven girls all gathered up their bags and found their way back to the Suburban. Once the black vehicle was loaded and everyone was buckled in, Reyna peeled out of the parking lot and drove them all back to Annabeth's place.

* * *

Yay! Part 1 is done! I know this one is much shorter than usual but, I have a plan. Trust me. :)

So, my friend gave me (and you guys) a challenge. She wants to see how fast you guys can get to three hundred. So, I'm just gonna say, 50 reviews and I'll post part 2, Cool? Cool.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


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